Page 67 of Forged

The camera angle is elevated, likely mounted across the street. Falco stands near the edge of the dock, posture slack, shoulders loose.

There’s a woman beside him, she’s relaxed, no evidence of force.

She’s laughing.

Dom shifts in his chair. “Who is that?”

Rowan zooms the frame slowly, enhancing it in stages. The image sharpens enough for facial features to settle into focus.

Silence fills the room.

Enzo rises from his seat without speaking and walks toward the screen. His hands slide into his pockets as he studies the woman’s face.

“Zoom in again,” he says quietly.

Rowan does and we see the woman turn in the footage. Falco leans close to her ear, speaking into her hair. She tilts her head back and smiles.

Enzo curses under his breath. “Kelly Kavanagh.”

The name lands like a dropped blade and my stomach tightens.

I glance at him sharply. “You’re sure that’s her?”

With no hesitation, he says, “Yes.”

Cormac looks between us. “Wait, Kavanagh? Is that Declan’s wife?”

Enzo keeps his eyes on the screen. “The one and only.”

Declan Kavanaugh was Zara’s brother and Kelly his widow. When Declan was caught in the crossfire of a mission, Kelly called Zara back to Chicago, desperate and grieving. Zara came home for her brother, but by the time Declan was gone, the truth hadalready started to unravel. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was a trap. Her father used Declan’s death to pull her back into his world, setting everything in motion for his plan. An alliance between the Falcos and Kavanaughs. Zara walked straight into it, right into Lachlan’s hands, and before she could find a way out, she was being forced into a marriage with Anthony Falco. She never made it to the altar because Enzo stole the bride first.

Rowan pulls up a second angle. This time it’s from a different camera at the same dock. Falco’s hand rests at the small of her back. It seems familiar and comfortable.

“She doesn’t look like she’s being forced to be there,” Stefano mutters.

“She isn’t, and I want to know why she’s so goddamn cozy with Falco,” Enzo replies.

Rowan taps another key and freezes the frame as Falco turns, then looks directly toward the camera.

“He saw the camera,” Rowan says. “But he left it in place.”

“He wanted us to see this,” I say.

Dom leans forward. “You want her brought in?”

Enzo turns to us. “No. But I want two members of the Ghost team on her.”

The Ghost team is our specialized band of security, headed up by Dante. Most of them are ex-military, slightly unhinged, but dangerously good at completing tasks or protecting people in our most complex situations. Enzo walks back to his chair and sits, resting his forearms on the table.

“We watch. If Falco believes he’s unsettled us, let him keep believing that.”

Cormac frowns. “That’s a gamble.”

“So is reacting before we see can dissect their plan,” I say. “He’s rerouted shipments and adjusted crews. He’s testing response time. If we move now, we confirm we’re chasing him.”

Rowan nods. “He reduced the volume this morning. Smaller loads, tighter routes. He’s seeing how quickly we notice.”

Enzo’s gaze drifts briefly back to the frozen image of Falco and Kelly.