Chapter 60: We Use Cheese to Catch Rats

DAMON

"Boss, just received another round of messages from Ronald. He's moving hot, but I've got intel on him."

Carlo said over the burner phone. We'd been working with disposable phones for the past few weeks, switching them out like clockwork.

Right after the auction, when I'd discovered who the hell Janet really was, I knew that motherfucker knew exactly who I was. But she was playing it cool—she looked deadly, dangerous, and most of all, she looked like she could kill anyone without flinching. She hadn't exposed herself ever since then, staying in the shadows like the trained killer I suspected she was.

Ronald must have done something to her, even though she was his daughter, whatever the fuck it was. The way she'd looked at me during the auction still haunted my thoughts—like she was memorizing every detail of my face for later use.

"Same messages?"

I asked, and he sighed, obviously nodding his head over the phone.

"Yes, same messages, but this time, it says he knows we faked the auction. Says we sold fake device to him and he thinks..."

"Just send me the message, Carlo."

I said, interrupting his words. I didn't have time for his commentary right now.

"Ok, boss."

He responded immediately.

In a few seconds, I heard the familiar beep on my iPad. The message was sent to my encrypted email from Carlo. I opened it and saw a video from Ronald. I smiled grimly—I'd pissed his shit ass off enough for him to make a video this time. Good.

The screen filled with Ronald's smug face, and I felt my jaw clench automatically.

Ronald: "You fucking played me, Damon Black. You pulled off an auction to sell cheap ass device to me. You made me spend sixty-five million dollars on a device that's fake as hell. If you did this, then this shit means you know where the real device is, and I'm fucking going to do something crazy soon if you don't send the device my way. Or we can meet tonight, by the beach, on one of my exclusive yachts. Bring my money with you..."

Ronald said, bringing a cigar to his mouth and puffing smoke directly at the camera like the pretentious asshole he was.

Ronald: "Or I tear your little girl into pieces. Trust me, I can get to her if I want to. I'm actually a step ahead of you, Damon."

He said with that sick smile of his, and then the video went black.

I slammed my hands against my desk, my knuckles immediately bruising from the impact, but I didn't give a fuck about the pain. The rage coursing through my veins was so much worse.

Ronald wasn't supposed to know how the real device looked, not this quickly. I'd made a fucking perfect duplicate of that device, and him finding out so early meant someone must have been feeding him intel. It had been just two weeks since the auction—everything had been normal, no drama. Every day I made sure to drop Annabel off safely, and she'd been preparing for her exams. I'd even given her space for studying and tightened security around her without her knowing.

But Ronald had found out the device was fake, and it should have been impossible. The duplicate was so good it could fool experts—that was the entire fucking plan. Sell him a fake device and get his money for all the stress he'd caused me over the months.

The thought of him threatening Annabel made something dark and violent twist in my chest. Nobody—and I mean nobody—threatened what was mine and lived to tell about it.

I swiped through my phone and clicked on the name written in bold: Andro.

The phone rang for a few seconds before he finally picked up.

"I need you and Carlo in my office now. This inside intel bullshit is making me slip, and I don't like slipping."

I said, my voice deadly calm in the way that usually made grown men nervous.

"Yes, Capo. We'll be there soon enough."

He responded with the respectful tone I expected, and I cut the call immediately.

I stood up from my plush leather chair, sliding my hands into my pockets as I tried to control the fury building inside me. It was time I found out who the hell was making me vulnerable, because they were going to be very fucking worried soon for messing around with me and mine.

I walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, facing the city and staring at the magnificent lights of the high-rise scrapers and high-tech buildings that stretched out before me. This city was mine—every brick, every street, every shadow belonged to me. I'd built this empire from nothing, and I'd be damned if I let some spy tear it down.

A sharp knock came at the door, and I knew it was Carlo and Andro without even turning around.

"Boss, you requested our presence."

Carlo said formally. I didn't turn around immediately—I just continued staring at my city, calculating every plan I wanted to set into motion, every move and countermove.

"I want to find out who's feeding intel to Ronald. Someone blew my cover way too quickly, and I want to find out who it is among us."

I said, finally turning to face them fully. My hands remained in my pockets, but my stance was all business. They immediately shared a look between themselves, clearly surprised by my words, and that told me everything I needed to know about how well I'd been hiding my suspicions.

"And how do you intend on doing that, boss?"

Andro asked while Carlo remained silent, waiting to hear what my plan was. Smart man—he knew when to listen.

"Well, it's not really a plan. It's a trap..."

I said, walking toward my computer as I opened the classified document I'd been preparing for exactly this situation.

"Where is Alice?"

I asked Andro, and he hesitated for just a moment before responding—another tell I filed away for later.

"I'm not sure of her exact location, but I can call her and she'll be here within the hour."

He said, and I nodded, already formulating the details of my test.

"There's a contract I have—four oil wells have been tapped and we found massive amounts of crude in all of them. Enough to make us stupidly rich. I want to sell the drilling rights to Marcus. We're talking about a three hundred and thirty million dollar deal, minimum. I'll be sending select men to handle the logistics, and you three will be in charge of coordinating the entire deal."

I said, watching their reactions carefully. Carlo's face immediately shifted to a frown, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"You want to set up the potential spy with hundreds of millions of dollars, especially with a deal involving Marcus?"

He asked, and I smiled—the kind of smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"Well, this is to ensure that this test is realistic and we aren't fucking around here. If there's a rat, they need to believe the cheese is real."

I said, and he nodded his head slowly, understanding the psychology behind the move.

"Inform the men about the operation, and make sure Alice coordinates the entire deal. Nothing happens without my explicit approval, and nothing funny goes down until I say so. Everyone reports directly to me."

I commanded, and they both nodded before heading toward the door.

"And gentlemen?"

I called out just as they reached the exit. They turned back to face me.

"This stays between us until we know who we can trust. The rat doesn't get to know they're being hunted."

They nodded again and left, closing the door behind them with a soft click.

I slumped back into my chair, the weight of leadership settling on my shoulders like it always did during times like these. Finding out who the spy was would make everything so much easier, but it also meant acknowledging that someone I trusted had betrayed me.

The thought of Annabel's safety being compromised because of my own people made rage burn hot in my chest again. Ronald thought he was a step ahead, but he had no idea what lengths I'd go to protect what was mine.

This little game was about to get very interesting, and I intended to win it all.