Chapter 5 5:00 AM

Vince De-Rossi watched as the first light of dawn began to creep through the windows of the war room, casting a soft glow on the tired faces around him. The night's battle had taken its toll, but there was no time for rest. The fight was far from over.

Sal, Marco, and Izzy were huddled around the table, reviewing the aftermath of the attack. Sal's arm was bandaged from a bullet graze, Marco's eyes were bloodshot from hours of monitoring the feeds, and Izzy's normally composed demeanour was shaken with worry, she looked a bit scared even.

"We sustained heavy damage" Sal said, his voice rough. "More than half our men are dead or injured and some parts of the building crumbled"

Vince nodded, his mind already racing ahead. "They'll be back. We need to fortify our defences with what we have and find the mole before they strike again. Keep the line as tight as possible and let's hope we can get to the mole before he exposes a weakness we can't defend against. Izzy, any word from your contacts?"

Izzy shook her head. "Nothing new. Everyone's on edge after last night. They're afraid to get involved."

"Understandable," Vince muttered. "But we need information. If we don't find the mole, everything we've built will crumble."

Marco looked up from his laptop. "I've been reviewing the footage from the battle. There's something strange. I noticed a pattern in the way the Giovannis moved. It's almost like they had inside knowledge of our defenses."

Vince's eyes narrowed. "Dammit, I know that Marco! That's why we're trying to find the mole, is it not?"

Marco nodded. "I'm sorry Vince. What I was driving at is it gets worse. The burner phone Carlo was using? I traced it to a location near the docks. It's been used to make calls to someone inside the task force."

Vince felt a surge of anger. "The bastard's been playing us."

Sal stood up. "I'll get a team together. We'll find him."

"No," Vince said, his voice firm. "I'll handle Carlo myself. He messed with my business so he's gonna answer to me. Sal, you focus on reinforcing our defenses. Marco, keep digging into the task force. We need to know who we're dealing with."

Izzy stood as well. "And I'll keep working my contacts. Someone out there knows something. We just need to find them."

As the team dispersed to carry out their tasks, Vince headed to the garage. He needed to clear his head, and the drive to Carlo's usual hideout would give him time to think. The city was waking up, the early morning light casting long shadows on the streets as he drove.

Carlo's hideout was a rundown warehouse on the outskirts of town. Vince parked a few blocks away and approached on foot, his senses on high alert. He had a bad feeling about this, but he had to confront Carlo.

He found Carlo in the back room, nursing a drink. The older man looked up, surprise flickering across his face as Vince entered. "Vince. What are you doing here?"

Vince's eyes were cold. "We need to talk, Carlo. About your phone calls."

Carlo's face paled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Vince stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't lie to me, Carlo. I've traced your calls to a burner phone, and from there to the task force. You've been feeding them information."

Carlo's hands trembled as he set down his drink. "Vince, I swear, I didn't have a choice. They came to me, threatened my family. I had to cooperate."

Vince's anger flared. "You betrayed us, Carlo. You put us all at risk. And when I confronted you about it, you lied to me!"

Carlo's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Vince. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I thought I could protect everyone if I played along."

"Who else is involved Carlo? And be careful what you say to me this time"

Carlo shook his head. "I don't know. They never told me. I was just a middleman."

Vince's frustration boiled over. "Damn it, Carlo! I don't have time for games"

Carlo's face crumpled. "I wish I could help you, Vince. But I don't know any more."

Before Vince could respond, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Marco: "We've got a lead. Get back to the estate ASAP."

Vince glared at Carlo. "You're coming with me. If you're telling the truth, maybe you may get out of this thing alive yet. But if I find out you've been lying..."

Carlo nodded, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I understand."

They drove back to the estate in tense silence. Vince's mind raced with the implications of Carlo's betrayal. If Carlos was only a middleman and there was another player in the fray, they were far from secure and everything could still go to hell.