Chapter 2: The Architect
The interrogation room beneath Victor's downtown headquarters had been designed so that nothing escaped.
Not sound.
Not light.
Not screams.
The air carried the sterile scent of bleach mixed with ozone from the industrial ventilation system.
Julian sat restrained in a reinforced steel chair beneath a single glaring LED light. Sweat poured down his face despite the freezing temperature.
Victor remained in the shadows.
His jacket had been removed.
His white shirt sleeves were rolled neatly to his forearms.
There wasn't a wrinkle out of place.
There wasn't a single sign of anger.
That frightened Julian more than shouting ever could.
Victor stepped into the light.
"You struck her."
The words weren't a question.
Julian burst into tears.
"I only wanted the ledger!" he cried. "She had the phone—the digital key to the offshore accounts. That's all I was after. I never meant for this to happen. She fought back!"
Victor studied him for several silent seconds.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"I oversee the largest criminal organization on the Eastern Seaboard," he said in a measured voice. "No one risks breaking into my home because they suddenly decide they want my ledger."
He moved one step closer.
"So tell me."
"Who convinced you Elena had it?"
Julian squeezed his eyes shut.
His entire body shook.
"I can't."
Victor remained perfectly still.
"If I say her name..."
His voice cracked.
"...she'll kill my mother."
A quiet sigh escaped Victor.
Not frustration.
Disappointment.
He reached into his pocket and unlocked his phone.
The screen displayed a live security feed.
A modest suburban home.
A woman inside was folding laundry, completely unaware she was being watched.
Victor held the phone where Julian could see it.
"The woman who hired you might decide to kill your mother tomorrow."
He paused.
"I can have it done before you finish your next sentence."
His thumb rested calmly above the screen.
"Choose."
Julian broke.
The sob that escaped him sounded almost animal.
"It was the Matriarch!"
His entire body convulsed.
"It was Camilla!"
"She told me Elena had become a liability."
"She gave me the security codes herself."
"She said no one would ever know."
Silence settled over the room.
Victor stared at him without expression.
He had expected betrayal.
Hearing it confirmed only made it permanent.
Without another word, Victor turned and walked toward the heavy steel door.
He stopped only long enough to nod once at the lieutenant standing silently against the wall.
May you like
"You know what to do."
Then he walked away.
