Chapter 5 Five

ARMANDO

I paced back and forth in my office, my mind racing. The phone call I'd just finished still echoed in my head, and the more I thought about it, the more my blood boiled. My informant's words had been clear-our shipment had been intercepted, and it was no ordinary operation. This was a hit from our number one rival.

I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out a cigar. I needed to calm down, think things through. But even as I lit the cigar and took a few slow puffs, the anger simmered just beneath the surface. It didn't take long before I slammed my fist down on the desk, the wood rattling under the force.

How the hell did this happen? We had planned everything. The route, the timing, the security. It was all handled quietly, kept within the tightest circle. So how did they know?

I grabbed my phone, my hand shaking with anger as I dialed Matteo. "Get to my office. Now."

It wasn't long before Matteo stepped through the door. He was quick, I'll give him that, but it didn't do much to cool my temper.

"What the hell happened?" I snapped the moment he was inside. "How did they know? How did you let this happen, Matteo?"

Matteo shut the door behind him and stood with his hands clasped in front of him. "Boss, it was an unexpected attack. They caught us off guard."

"Off guard?" I repeated, my voice rising. "We've been doing this for years. Nothing is supposed to catch us off guard! The route was a secret, everything was a damn secret!"

He nodded, but his face stayed calm. "It was a secret, boss. We kept everything the way we always do. The only people who knew were you, me, and a few of our most trusted guys."

I took another drag from the cigar, letting the smoke fill my lungs as I tried to make sense of it all. How could they have known if only my inner circle had the details? There was only one answer.

"There's a rat," I said, my voice cold. "Someone's feeding them information."

Matteo's eyes flickered with surprise, but he didn't argue. "You think one of our own is working for them?"

"How else could they know about the shipment?" I asked, staring him down. "We were careful, Matteo. We didn't let anyone outside the circle in on the plan. If they knew, it's because someone told them."

He didn't say anything for a moment, just nodded slowly as he processed the thought. "I'll start looking into it," he said. "Quietly. We'll find the rat."

"We better," I muttered, pacing again. "I don't care who it is. I don't care how long they've been with us. Once we find them, they're dead."

Matteo didn't flinch at my words. He knew I meant every word, and he knew what kind of person we were up against. The rival family had been gunning for us for years, and we'd always stayed one step ahead. But this time, they'd hit us where it hurt.

"I'll handle it, boss," he assured me. "But maybe you should take a step back for the night. Clear your head."

I stopped pacing, turning to look at him. "You want me to take a step back? We just lost millions in that shipment."

"I know," Matteo said carefully. "But you're pissed right now, and that's not gonna help us figure this out. We'll find the rat. But for tonight, maybe we just need to take a breather. You don't have to make any decisions while you're this angry."

I scoffed, turning away from him again. "A breather?"

"There's a new club that opened up," he suggested. "Why don't we head out there for a bit? Blow off some steam. You'll feel better after a drink or two. Maybe some company."

I narrowed my eyes, considering it. The idea of unwinding sounded ridiculous given the situation, but Matteo had a point. I was angry-too angry to think straight. My fists clenched at my sides, and I realized that if I stayed in this office any longer, I was going to destroy something.

"I don't know," I muttered, still unsure.

"It's one night," he urged. "And you know as well as I do that this isn't the first time we've been hit. We'll bounce back, like we always do. But if you keep going at it like this, you'll burn yourself out before we get to the bottom of it."

I took another drag from the cigar, feeling the tension in my shoulders. He wasn't wrong. I needed to think clearly, and I wasn't going to do that while I was like this.

"Fine," I said after a moment. "We'll go."

Matteo gave a small nod, and I could see the relief in his eyes. "I'll call for the car."

I crushed the cigar in the ashtray and grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair. The tension was still there, still coiled tight in my chest, but maybe a night out would help ease it. If nothing else, a few drinks would dull the edge of my anger.

As I shrugged into my jacket, I couldn't stop thinking about the rat. Whoever it was, they had betrayed me, and that was something I didn't forgive. The night out might help me cool off, but it wouldn't change the fact that someone in my crew had turned on me. And when I found out who it was, there would be no mercy.

Matteo held the door open as I stepped out of the office. "We'll head out the back," he said, "keep things low-key."

I nodded, already calculating in my head how I would handle this. The club could wait-just for a few hours. But after that, I was going to get to work. The rat wouldn't hide forever.

They never did.

As we walked down the hallway, Matteo fell into step beside me. "We'll get through this, boss," he said, his voice calm. "We always do."

I didn't answer.