STOLEN REVENGE

Chapter Eight: Shadows of the Past

The city was quiet as Dante drove through the empty industrial district.

Fog drifted across the road, making the abandoned buildings look like ghosts.

Valentina stared at the tablet in her lap. "I found it."

Dante didn't take his eyes off the road. "Bellini's headquarters?" "Yes." "You sound certain." "I am. The building above is an old textile factory. The real headquarters is underground." "How many people?"

She zoomed in on the thermal scan.

"At least forty. Guards, technicians... maybe more." Dante nodded slowly.

"So this is where he's been hiding." "And where he's's been controlling everything."

The factory came into view. Broken windows. Collapsed roofs. Rust covered the gates. It looked like it had been abandoned for decades.

Dante stopped the SUV several streets away. "For a man with billions," he muttered, "he sure likes ugly buildings."

Valentina smiled. "They're easier to ignore." They changed into black tactical gear. Dante checked his pistol. "No heroes tonight." Valentina locked a magazine into her rifle.

"I wasn't planning to be one." "We go in." "We get proof." "We leave."

She looked at him. "And if Bellini is there?"

Dante's eyes hardened.b"We leave."

She laughed softly. "I almost believed you." They slipped through a broken section of the fence.

Every step across the cracked concrete sounded louder than it should. Halfway across the yard, Valentina suddenly grabbed Dante's arm. "Stop."

He froze. "What?" She pointed upward. "A camera." Dante looked carefully. A tiny camera slowly turned toward them. "I didn't even see it." "You weren't supposed to."

She pulled a small device from her pocket. "Keep watch." "You've got ten seconds." "You only need five." She connected the device.

The camera froze. The recording light changed color. She smiled. "We've got ninety seconds." "Move."

They hurried toward the loading dock.

Hidden beneath old wooden crates was a steel hatch. Valentina entered a code. The lock clicked. Dante raised an eyebrow.

"You memorized it?" "I have a good memory." "I noticed."

The hatch opened. Cold air rushed out. Dante looked into the darkness.

"Ladies first." "You keep volunteering me for dangerous jobs." "You always survive them." She sighed dramatically. "I hate when you're right."

They climbed down. The staircase led to a bright underground corridor.

Dante stopped. "I was expecting old tunnels." "So was I."

Instead they found polished steel walls. Modern security doors. Bright LED lights. Rows of surveillance monitors. "It looks like a military base," Dante whispered.

Valentina nodded. "Bellini built a city under the city." Footsteps echoed nearby. Two guards walked past. They disappeared around a corner. "Now."

The two hurried into a glass office overlooking the command center. Inside, computers displayed maps, shipping routes, bank transfers, and surveillance feeds. Valentina plugged a drive into the main computer.

A loading bar appeared. "Please don't be slow." Dante searched the cabinets. Most held financial records. Others contained blackmail files. Then he found a thick folder. Project Legacy.

He opened it. His face changed. Valentina looked over. "What is it?"

He didn't answer. He simply handed her a photograph. She looked. Her heart dropped. It was Dante's family.

Across the picture was one word.

ELIMINATED. "No..." Dante kept turning pages. Another family.

Then Valentina saw her own parents.

Her older sister. The same red stamp.

She slowly lowered the file. "This... this can't be real." "It is." "They planned it."

Dante nodded. "Every family." "They didn't kill us because of revenge." "They hunted us." Valentina found another file inside. Operation Phoenix. She opened it.

Her eyes moved across the pages. Then she stopped. "Dante." "What?"

"You need to read this." He took the report.

His breathing slowed. "Our parents knew each other." "What?" "They were working together."

Valentina frowned. "My father never mentioned your family." "Neither did mine." She pointed to another page.

"They weren't criminals." "They were investigators."

Dante kept reading. His voice became quiet. "They discovered Phoenix." "What is Phoenix?" She swallowed. "It isn't one organization." "It's dozens." She continued reading aloud. "Crime families." "Politicians." "Judges." "Police commanders." "Business leaders."

"They built a secret network." Dante looked stunned. "And anyone who found out..." "They disappeared."

Silence filled the room. Valentina wiped tears from her eyes. "My father always said some people feared the truth more than death."

Dante stared at his parents' photograph. "I finally understand." The computer beeped. Valentina looked at the screen. "The download is complete." She removed the drive.

"We've got everything."

Dante smiled for the first time. "Bellini is finished." Suddenly the lights turned red. An alarm screamed through the building.

"Security breach in Sector Three."

Dante looked toward the hallway.

"They found us." Footsteps echoed outside. Valentina grabbed the files.

"We need another way."

Dante opened the office door slightly. Four guards. Coming straight toward them. "No." He looked up. "The ventilation shaft."

Valentina fired her grappling hook. The cover came loose. She climbed inside. Dante followed. Seconds later the office door burst open.

"They're gone!" "Search everywhere!" The guards spread out.

Inside the ventilation shaft, Dante and Valentina crawled in silence. Voices echoed below. Search teams filled every corridor. After several minutes they reached another vent. Valentina carefully looked through it.

Her eyes widened. "Dante." He looked. Bellini stood below. Around him were nearly twenty people. Politicians. Business executives.

Military officers. Police commanders.

Everyone smiled as if they were old friends. Dante whispered, "That's half the city." Bellini spoke calmly.

"Our guests entered exactly as expected."

One man frowned. "You let them in?" Bellini smiled. "Of course." Valentina looked at Dante. "He knew." Bellini continued. "They've taken Project Legacy."

A woman asked, "Shouldn't we stop them?" "No." "They've only seen what I wanted them to see." Dante's stomach tightened. "What does he mean?"

Bellini turned toward the room. "They think they're hunting us." He smiled. "But they're bringing us exactly where we need them."

Several people laughed. Valentina whispered. "We're walking into a trap."

Before Dante could answer, another monitor lit up. Medical records appeared. Bellini glanced toward the screen. "How is Subject Twelve?"

A doctor replied, "Stable." "No memory loss?" "None." "Good." Valentina frowned. "Subject Twelve?"

The doctor's file opened. A photograph appeared. Dante stopped breathing. Marco Romano. His older brother. His brother had died twenty years ago. Or so everyone believed.

Under the picture were the words:

STATUS: ALIVE. Dante stared at the screen. "No."

The doctor opened another file. A recent security photo appeared. A thin man with gray hair walked slowly through a hallway. His face was covered with scars.

Dante whispered, "He's alive." Valentina couldn't believe it. "I saw his funeral." "So did I."

Bellini spoke again. "Has he agreed to cooperate?" The doctor shook his head. "He refuses to speak." Bellini smiled. "He will." "And if he doesn't?"

Bellini's expression turned cold. "Then we'll use his brother." Dante's hands clenched into fists. Valentina grabbed his arm.

"Not here." "I'm ending this." "You'll die." "I don't care." "I do."

He looked at her. She held his gaze.

"If you rush in now..." "You'll never save him."

Dante slowly forced himself to breathe.

Below them Bellini continued. "Move Subject Twelve to Facility Twelve before sunrise." "Double the security." "No mistakes."

"Yes, sir." Facility Twelve. Valentina quickly memorized the name. "We can find it." Dante nodded. "We will."

A loud metallic sound echoed behind them. They both froze. Someone was inside the ventilation shaft.

Flashlights swept through the darkness. A voice shouted, "I found them!"

Gunfire exploded through the narrow tunnel. Metal sparks flew around them. Dante grabbed Valentina's hand. "Run!" They crawled as bullets tore through the vents behind them.

The metal beneath Dante suddenly groaned. Cracked. Bent. Then gave way. The floor collapsed beneath them. They plunged into the darkness. Straight into the middle of Bellini's conference room.