Chapter 17 - THE HUNT FOR TYLER VANCE
By 3:00 AM, the storm broke over Chicago.
While Jessica stayed in the safe wing of the estate reading Lily back to sleep, Giovanni mobilized the full weight of the Fierro network.
Tyler Vance sat in a dark, abandoned warehouse near the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, sweating profusely, staring at his trembling hands. Beside him stood Enzo Fierro’s personal fixer, a man named Russo.
"You promised me this was foolproof!" Tyler panicked, his voice cracking. "You said Giovanni’s car wouldn't survive the RPG! Now his security team is sweeping the entire district!"
"Shut up, you idiot," Russo growled, checking his watch. "Enzo has a boat waiting at the docks. Once we get you out of state, you take the blame for the wire transfers, and Enzo takes control of the enterprise."
The heavy metal doors of the warehouse suddenly exploded inward.
A flashbang grenade detonated with a blinding flash and deafening boom. Before Russo could draw his weapon, tactical operatives in black gear flooded the floor, tackling Russo to the ground and disarming him in seconds.
Tyler stumbled back, falling onto his hands and knees on the dirty concrete, screaming in terror.
Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed across the floor.
Giovanni stepped through the haze, wearing a long wool coat, flanked by Marco. He walked slowly until he stood directly over Tyler.
"Mr. Fierro! Please! It was Enzo! He offered me fifty million dollars to authorize the funds!" Tyler wept, crawling forward to grab Giovanni’s shoe. "I didn't want to hurt Jess! I swear I didn't know they were going to shoot at her!"
Giovanni looked down at him with utter disgust. He raised his foot, casually kicking Tyler’s hand away.
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"You traded your wife for a promotion, Tyler," Giovanni said flatly. "And when that failed, you traded her life for a way out. You are not a man. You are a disease."
Giovanni turned to Marco. "Hand him over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation alongside the full paper trail linking him to Enzo Fierro's offshore accounts. Let him spend the next thirty years in a federal penitentiary."
