Twisted Obsession

40 - Resurgence

Lorenzo Vincelli

My mother left early this morning, and I dove right back into work. After a hot shower, I was in the bathroom, carefully peeling back the old bandages from my side. The faint sting of the fresh wound served as a reminder of how messy things had become. Black formal trousers hung low on my hips, a belt loosely buckled, as I worked methodically to rewrap the gash.

Just as I was smoothing the last edge of gauze, the bathroom door creaked open. Octavio stepped in, his usual calm demeanor intact.

"Any news from Emiliano?" I asked, tossing the bloodied bandages into the trash.

"Yes," he replied, his tone clipped but deliberate.

I pulled a sleek black sweater over my head, the fabric settling snugly against my frame. "Athena, Riccardo, and Elliot—or rather, Valentin—are staying at one of Federico's properties," he continued.

"Federico's involved?" I asked, my voice sharper now.

"Yes, boss."

"Go on," I prompted, leaning against the edge of the bathroom counter, arms crossed.

Octavio stepped aside, producing his phone. "Emiliano broke in last night. He retrieved all the details of their plan." He glanced up, his expression stoic yet brimming with an unspoken tension. "Luciana has thought this through. They're planning to infiltrate the vehicles transporting the blood diamonds, disguising themselves as part of the new security detail. Once inside the estate, they'll have unfettered access. Everything after that falls into place for them."

He crossed to the bedroom, turned on the TV, and projected the stolen data onto the screen. Blueprints, maps, security layouts, and photos of the equipment they planned to use materialized before us. It was an intricate web of schematics, leaving no detail overlooked.

I studied the screens, my eyes narrowing. "What's Emiliano's take?"

"He says it's a tight operation. Foolproof, unless we act now. Luciana's relying on the estate's new hires being green—untrained and easy to manipulate. She doesn't account for us knowing."

I straightened, pacing toward the TV. "And their timeline?"

"They move in two days. The diamonds arrive tomorrow night."

"Good." I turned to Octavio, my voice cold. "Contact Marco. Have him bring his men. We'll plant a decoy transport."

Octavio raised a brow. "You're expecting them to take the bait?"

"They will." I smirked, my mind already weaving the trap. "Luciana might have thought this through, but she doesn't know how well I know her. She'll go for the decoy—she always does when things look too easy."

Octavio nodded. "Understood. And the others?"

"Federico..." I paused, letting the name linger. "He's not here just for them. Keep him on the radar. I want eyes on every property he owns. If he's playing both sides, I'll deal with him myself."

"Very well, boss," Octavio said, his tone unwavering.

I turned back to the screen, my jaw tightening. The game was moving fast, but I was always three steps ahead. And this time, I wouldn't let Luciana slip through my fingers.

"Tell Emiliano to stay embedded. I want updates every hour."

"And if they suspect him?" Octavio asked.

"They won't," I said, my voice cutting like steel. "But if they do... make sure he knows what's at stake."

Just at that moment, the phone buzzes sharply, the screen lighting up with an Unknown ID. My fingers hover over the device for a split second before I put it on speaker.