Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 363

Chapter 363: Chapter 147 Ghosts Return Home

Dominic’s POV

The frustration gnawed at my gut as I sat in the back room of the Thorne family’s police precinct safe house, feeling like I was drowning in loose ends. Neither Marcus nor that street rat Nick had been permanently dealt with, and the latter was still circling Gemma like a rabid dog. Detective Adler sat across from me at the scarred wooden table, his weathered face showing the kind of sympathy only another soldier could understand. At least he had some intelligence that might give us a fighting chance in this bloody chess game.

"What have you got for us, Adler?" Daniel asked, leaning forward in his chair with the predatory focus that made him one of our most effective cleaners.

"Let’s start with our surveillance on the street scum," Adler began, pulling out a manila folder. "Nick hasn’t left his current rat hole since we arranged his release from county lockup. As we discussed, he’s holed up with the woman who was visiting him inside—clearly his new meal ticket."

While Adler spoke, my mind drifted to the legitimate storefront where Gemma had been working before I pulled her into our world. There had been someone there—a colleague who had connections running back to that piece of garbage Nick.

"Do we have a name for this woman?" I interrupted, my voice carrying the edge that made lesser men flinch. "Nick had some bitch at Gemma’s workplace feeding him information."

Adler nodded with the grim satisfaction of a man who’d done his homework. "We leaned on that individual—Vanessa, if memory serves. She was making regular trips to see him during his stretch, but he cut her loose. Shortly after, he started getting visits from a woman named Nancy Donovan, sister to a small-time dealer who’s been stepping on our territory in the narcotics trade."

He started reaching for a surveillance photograph, but I didn’t need to see her face. The moment he said that cursed name, recognition hit me like a shotgun blast to the chest. The universe apparently had a sick sense of humor when it came to dragging ghosts from my past.

"She’s my ex-girlfriend," I stated, my voice flat as a blade. Both Daniel and Adler stared at me with expressions that shifted from surprise to grim understanding. "The whore my father abandoned our family for."

"Well, I’ll be damned," Daniel exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Talk about all the chickens coming home to roost. Isn’t she the one who’s been trying to crawl back into your bed?"

"The very same," I confirmed, feeling the familiar throb of a headache building behind my temples like approaching thunder. "Back to poison everything she touches."

Adler scratched his grizzled chin thoughtfully. "This complicates the game board significantly. A psychotic ex-boyfriend and a vindictive ex-lover working different angles—that’s a powder keg waiting to blow. We need to ensure this woman doesn’t get within a mile of Gemma."

"She only made contact with Gemma once," I pointed out, though my instincts were screaming that once was already too many times. "Maybe she doesn’t even realize Gemma is the same woman who was tangled up with Nick."

"Possibly. From our intelligence gathering, Stevie was the connector between them. He and Nick formed a tight bond during their shared time in the system. But we can’t afford to gamble on maybes—it was almost certainly Nancy behind those death threats Gemma received. We’ll keep eyes on her," Adler emphasized with the certainty of a man who’d learned not to underestimate enemies.

"Agreed. I’m not taking chances with Gemma’s safety. I’ll brief her on this development," I nodded curtly. "But what about Marcus? Any movement on that front?"

Adler’s expression darkened like storm clouds gathering. "The bastard’s staying deep underground. I’m itching to put that traitor in the ground where he belongs."

I flipped through all ten pages methodically, scanning each name with the focus of a predator hunting prey. Nothing triggered my instincts until one particular name seemed to burn itself into my retinas. It had to be coincidence—surely she wouldn’t be that reckless. I continued through the remaining pages, but that was the only name that registered. The possibility seemed completely insane. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

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