Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
“That’s impossible!” Sophie blurted out, her voice echoing off the glass walls of the conference room. “I haven't even issued keycards to my staff yet! The physical cards are still sitting in my desk drawer!”
Victor raised his hands in mock defense. “I’m just reporting what the digital system logged, Miss Miller. The keycard override was processed using your administrator credentials at 11:42 PM last night.”
“Sophie was in Basement Level 3 at 11:42 PM last night,” Gabriel said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy tone that caused Victor’s smile to falter. “I know because I watched her on the security feed.”
Victor quickly adjusted his approach. “Then someone stole her digital credentials from her workstation, Gabriel. Or she shared her password. The point is... her new department is the breach point through which Falcone’s men compromised our security.”
Victor turned his gaze onto Sophie, his eyes narrowing like a predator. “A cafeteria worker gets promoted overnight, and suddenly our most secure warehouse goes up in flames. You’ll forgive me if management finds the timing convenient.”
Sophie felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room. She looked at Gabriel, her hazel eyes wide with panic and pleading. “Gabriel... I swear to you, on my mother’s life, I had nothing to do with this. I don't even know where Warehouse 4 is!”
Gabriel stared at Victor for three long, agonizing seconds. The silence in the room was suffocating.
Then, Gabriel turned his eyes to Sophie.
The coldness in his face did not soften, but his voice was completely steady. “I know you didn't do it, Sophie.”
Sophie let out a shuddering breath, her hand pressing against her chest.
Victor’s jaw dropped. “Gabriel! The system logs—”
“The system logs can be manipulated by anyone with level-five IT access,” Gabriel cut him off sharply, stepping up until he was inches from Victor’s face. “Who oversees the security server updates, Victor?”
Victor swallowed hard, a tiny bead of sweat appearing at his hairline. “My... my security committee.”
“Precisely,” Gabriel growled. “So until I find out who slipped Falcone her credentials, Miss Miller is under my personal protection.”
“Protection?” Victor stammered. “She’s a liability!”
“She is an employee of Moretti Maritime, and she was framed inside my building,” Gabriel growled, his dark eyes flashing with lethal intent. “Sal!”
Sal appeared in the doorway instantly. “Yes, Boss?”
“Escort Miss Miller to my private estate in Lincoln Park,” Gabriel ordered. “Assign four perimeter guards. No one enters the grounds without my explicit permission. Is that clear?”
“Understood, Boss,” Sal nodded.
Sophie looked at Gabriel, her head spinning. “Your private estate? Gabriel, I have an apartment, I have a cat—”
“Your apartment is no longer safe,” Gabriel said gently, turning to her and taking both of her hands in his massive, warm grip. “Whoever set this trap wanted you to take the fall. When they realize I didn't fire you, they may try to eliminate you to close the loop.”
His hands tightened around hers, giving her a sense of profound, unbreakable security.
“Go with Sal,” Gabriel murmured softly. “Let me clean up this mess. I will come for you tonight.”
Ten minutes later, Sophie was sitting in the back of a bulletproof black Cadillac, watching the rain-slicked streets of Chicago blur past her window. Beside her, Sal drove in quiet vigilance, constantly checking his rearview mirrors.
May you like
She had been thrust from a quiet life of washing dishes and packing chicken containers into the terrifying center of a mafia war. Yet as she touched her cheek—where Gabriel’s hand had rested just an hour ago—she realized she wasn't afraid of Gabriel Moretti.
She was afraid for him.
