Location: Milan, Italy – Piazza del Trionfo
The wind in Milan carried a chill not found in Tavara. It was biting, whispering through narrow cobbled streets and across ancient piazzas. The iron statue in question stood tall in Piazza del Trionfo—a towering war general from centuries ago, cast in defiance and history.
Damien stood before it now, eyes narrowed, the encrypted letter still fresh in his coat pocket. Nora was at his side, dressed in dark travel attire, a scarf wound around her neck and large sunglasses shielding her face. Langston and Zachary flanked them quietly, their eyes sweeping the square for any signs of surveillance.
"There," Nora whispered, pointing discreetly. "The base of the statue. You see that seam in the marble?"
Damien nodded. It looked like a maintenance panel, but the aging lines around it didn't match the surrounding stone. A fake cover.
"Langston," Damien said. "Give me a scan."
Langston pulled out a small hand-held device—military-grade, shortwave X-ray. He swept it across the base, his brow furrowing. "There's a compartment. Metal reinforced. Small, maybe a case inside."
"No alarms?" Damien asked.
"None we can detect. But I'll jam all nearby signals before you open it."
Nora knelt beside the statue and began working on the seam, using a concealed lockpick from her boot. Damien kept a watch on the quiet square, but his gut tightened. This was too smooth.
Click.
The panel opened with a soft hiss, and Nora reached in, retrieving a thin silver case—old, dusty, but still sealed. Damien took it gently and examined the insignia.
The Kane family crest.
He opened it.
Inside were yellowed documents, a velvet pouch, and a microchip. Nora drew a sharp breath.
"These are original agreements—offshore holdings, assassination contracts… It's everything the Kane family covered up before the split."
Damien's face hardened. "This can bring down Victor. And half the people protecting him."
Just then, Langston stiffened. "Movement. Three unmarked black sedans—west entrance."
Zachary's voice was ice. "We've been followed."
Damien didn't flinch. He snapped the case shut and turned. "Let them come."
Langston passed him a suppressed weapon. Nora's expression was resolute.
The war in the shadows had just gone public.
And Damien wasn't running.
Not anymore.