With Broken Ribs and a Shattered Ankle, She Climbed 42 Floors—The Mafia Boss Never Forgot Her

The independent team reached Raphael's old office at 2:15 p.m.

The storage room was beneath the original headquarters, a building Raphael had stopped using after moving his executive operations to the penthouse. Only a handful of people still had access.

The team included Samuel Price, a licensed forensic examiner, and two external security specialists with no connection to Raphael's private organization.

They found the wall panel exactly where Nora had described it.

Behind it sat a sealed envelope containing a handwritten index, printed transactions, and a small notebook filled with dates and initials.

The ledger was real.

It was also incomplete.

Several pages had been removed.

Samuel photographed every document before placing the materials in a secure case.

"Someone has been here recently," one of the specialists said.

He pointed to fresh scratches around the panel's screws.

The team reviewed the building's access logs. An entry had been recorded at 11:48 p.m. the previous night using Dominic Vale's credentials.

Raphael received the report while standing outside Nora's hospital room.

He read it twice.

Then he called Dominic.

"Where were you last night?"

"At home until ten. Then I came into the office."

"Why?"

"Routine security review."

"Did you enter the old storage room?"

A pause.

"No."

"The access system says you did."

"Then the system is wrong."

Raphael looked through the glass at Nora, who was trying to reach a cup of water without disturbing her injured ankle.

"Interesting."

"Boss, if someone has compromised my credentials, we need to find out immediately."

"We will."

"I can lead the review."

"No."

Dominic's voice tightened.

"Raphael, I've protected you for twelve years."

"And I haven't forgotten."

"Then why are you treating me like a suspect?"

Raphael lowered his voice.

"Because a woman nearly died trying to tell me that someone I trusted was stealing from me. I'm not going to ignore evidence because the person involved has been loyal in the past."

Silence.

Then Dominic said, "Understood."

Raphael ended the call.

He did not feel satisfaction.

Dominic had been beside him through gunfire, betrayals, arrests, and the collapse of rival organizations. He had once taken a bullet meant for Raphael outside a courthouse.

If Dominic was involved, Raphael would lose more than a security chief.

He would lose one of the last people he had believed he could trust.

When he entered Nora's room, she looked up.

"Bad news?"

"Complicated news."

"That usually means bad news wearing a tie."

He told her about the access log.

Nora's face became serious.

"Did Dominic deny entering the room?"

"Yes."

"Did he sound surprised?"

"He sounded offended."

"Those aren't the same thing."

Raphael studied her.

"You think he did it?"

"I think someone used his credentials. It could be him, or it could be someone who knows how to make it look like him."

She shifted against her pillows, then winced.

Raphael moved to help.

"Don't."

He stopped immediately.

She adjusted herself.

"Thank you."

He nodded and returned to the chair.

For the first time, she noticed the exhaustion in his face. He had not slept properly since she arrived, and the tension in his shoulders suggested he was carrying more than the investigation.

"You should go home," she said.

"I have a home."

"Then go to it."

"This is my building."

"Raphael."

He looked at her.

"You can't stand guard over me forever."

His expression softened.

"I'm not trying to."

"Then what are you doing?"

He took a long breath.

"Trying to make sure the next person who opens your door is someone you want to see."