Your father's bodyguard, Elias Crane. Dante went still. Elias Crane had died the same night Dante's father was attacked. At least, that was the official story, Hannah whispered. That's why the face was scratched out.
Richard nodded. Because Gabriel realized too late Elias had copied his entire training network. What for? Dante asked. To sell access.
Richard's voice became colder. Safe houses, routes, identities, emergency contacts. Every place Gabriel had designed to protect powerful families. Hannah understood. My father discovered the betrayal.
And Elias tried to erase him. Valeria looked at Richard. Then why did you want the ledger? Richard said nothing. Dante noticed.
You weren't protecting the Morettis. Richard smiled faintly. No. Hannah's stomach tightened. The names weren't because they proved what Elias did.
Richard looked directly at her. They were valuable because several of those people are still alive. Dante's face hardened. You wanted leverage. Information is leverage.
Hannah stepped forward. My father would never give you that. He didn't. Richard's eyes dropped toward her wrist. He encoded it.
Everyone looked at the bronze disc. Hannah slowly removed it. The broken circle, three narrow lines. She had worn it for 12 years. Richard said, "Gabriel didn't leave you a memory.
He left you a map. " Valeria stared at her father. "You told me the disc was sentimental. " "I told you what made you useful. " That hit her hard. Dante saw it. The same man who had used Hannah's presence to hunt Gabriel's secret had also used his own daughter. Hannah examined the disc carefully.
There were tiny marks around the edge, numbers. She had always thought they were decorative. Marco brought a magnifying lens. Coordinates. Hannah shook her head.
"No. " She recognized the pattern. Martial training sequences. Left step, turn, three strikes, reset. But when translated into numbers, they created an address. Dante read it.
North River Gym. Hannah froze. That building had been abandoned for years. It was where Gabriel Voss trained her as a child. Richard smiled.
"Now we understand each other. " "No. " Hannah said. "We don't. " She closed her hand around the disc. "You had 12 years to search that gym. " Richard's smile disappeared. "You need the sequence to open what's hidden there. " Dante turned to Marco. "Prepare the cars. " Richard stepped forward.
"You're making a mistake. " Dante looked at him. "No. My mistake was letting you walk into my house believing your title made you untouchable. " Richard's guards shifted. Hannah noticed before anyone else. One man's hand moved beneath his jacket.
She stepped between Dante and the guard. Don't. The guard froze. Hannah's eyes stayed on his shoulder. If you draw, you won't finish the motion.
Richard looked almost amused. There's Gabriel's daughter. Dante's voice went cold. Everyone lowers their hands. For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Valeria suddenly walked away from her father and stood beside Dante. Richard stared at her. What are you doing? Choosing which man in this room has lied to me less. Richard's face hardened.
Then Hannah's phone vibrated. Unknown number. One message. Do not go to North River Gym. A photograph followed, taken seconds earlier.
Inside the abandoned gym stood an older man beside a wall covered in Voss symbols. Hannah stopped breathing. She knew the face from childhood photographs. Elias Crane. The supposedly dead third man was alive.
And beneath the image was one final message. He has been waiting for you. Hannah stared at the photograph of Elias Crane. The supposedly dead man was standing inside North River Gym, waiting. Dante looked at her.
You're not going alone. I know. Richard Santoro laughed softly. You still think this is about protecting her? Dante turned.
What is it about? Richard's eyes settled on Hannah. Gabriel didn't hide the network because he feared Elias. Hannah frowned. He hid it because he feared what Dante's father would do with it.
The room went quiet. Dante's jaw tightened. My father trusted Gabriel. At first. Richard stepped closer to the photograph.
Then your father realized Gabriel's security routes could control half the city without firing a shot. Hannah shook her head. "My father would never hand that over. He refused. And Richard smiled without warmth.
"That was when Elias chose a side. Dante understood. Elias had not betrayed Gabriel for money alone. He had helped Dante's father take control of the network. Hannah looked at Dante.
For the first time, the mystery was pointing directly into his family. "Still coming? " she asked. "Yes. You may not like what we find. I stopped expecting to.
They reached North River Gym just before midnight. Dust covered the training floor. Old mirrors lined the walls. Hannah hadn't entered since she was 16. Every corner carried a memory of Gabriel correcting her stance, teaching her patience, reminding her that control mattered more than force.
Then a light switched on. Elias Crane stood beside the old practice ring. Older, scarred, very much alive. "You look like him," he told Hannah. She did not answer.
Dante stepped forward. "You helped destroy my family. " Elias looked at him. "No. Your father did that himself. " He pointed toward the floor. "Gabriel designed this room so no outsider could find what he hid. " Hannah removed the bronze disc.
"Where? " Elias smiled. "That's the test. " Around the training floor were 12 faded position marks. Hannah recognized them. Her father's final movement sequence. Not a fight, a pattern.
She stepped onto the first mark, turned, moved left, then right. Every position aligned her with a different mirror. At the final mark, her reflection pointed directly toward a cracked section of wall. Dante pulled away the loose panel. Inside was a narrow metal case.
Richard suddenly entered behind them with Valeria and two guards. I knew she would open it. Valeria looked furious. You followed us. Richard ignored her.
Hannah opened the case. Inside was no ledger, only 12 cassette tapes, each labeled with a surname. Merino, Santoro, Bellandi, Crane, Moretti, and others. Elias's expression changed. Gabriel recorded everyone.
Richard stepped forward. Give them to me. Dante blocked him. No. Richard's hand moved toward his coat.
Hannah immediately said, "Don't. " He stopped. She wasn't threatening him. She was reading him. Weight shifted to his right foot. Shoulder tightening.
Hand too close to the jacket. Richard slowly smiled. Your father trained you well. He trained me not to confuse violence with control. Valeria stared at Hannah differently now.