The tables had turned yet again for Angelo Velasquez, and this time, he could sense the winds of change blowing across the city, threatening to blow away the jungle of concrete and steel he had built, like a house of cards.With the chief of police confessing to corruption and naming Angelo as his true paymaster, Angelo barely had any room to squirm free.Even the law was not on his side this time, since Alex had already framed the only judge on Angelo’s payroll, and frightened every lawyer just enough so that they wouldn’t even think of siding with their mayor.Right now, Angelo’s only hope was a shift in political power that would help him toss these allegations against him into the bin and shut these cases forever.However, to do that, he needed Billy Sanders to win the upcoming election against Phillipe Du Monte, and there was no way to get to that chair with Alex standing in their way.In a desperate bid to put Alex under pressure, Angelo had decided to make things personal and g

Tracy didn’t return to the mayor’s office as usual, but went to his private residence instead to keep a closer eye on his activities.Angelo was surprised to see her in person.“What else burned down?” he asked, immediately assuming there was another emergency.But Tracy looked cluelessly at him.“I don’t know what you are talking about. I was here to tell you that those six men you selected have already boarded their flights. The first crew will be landing in Nexus in an hour, and the second one will land in Glenmonte approximately 20 minutes from now.”Hearing the much-needed good news, Angelo heaved a sigh of relief and welcomed her in.“I am really sorry. I have just been too stressed. Things haven’t exactly been sunny around here.”“I understand. But you needn’t worry. Alex Verlaine is powerless in Cobalt Cove. You still run this whole city,” Tracy reassured in an attempt to stoke his ego and get him to drop his guard.Angelo, however, was on edge right now. And no amount of flat

Tracy froze like an icicle as she felt the mayor’s murderous gaze upon her. She hadn’t seen it coming, and now there was no way out.“Tell me, Tracy. Was it you who was supplying information to Alex Verlaine?” Angelo asked in a heavy voice. “Why would you betray me? Was it for money?”Tracy knew that no amount of apologizing would help, so instead she resorted to her lies again.“I have been your secretary for the last four years. In this time, I have helped you deal with countless miscreants and seal the best deals for your administration. Yet now you accuse me of betraying you?”“You are the only one who knew about all my plans. Who else could it be?” Angelo glowered.“Ross Spencer!” Tracy blurted the first name she could think of.“What?” Angelo questioned in confusion.“Think about it! How did Alex know about the money and the moonshine in the warehouse? How did he even enter the club unnoticed?”The questions compelled Angelo to think deeper.“It was Ross who came up with the bri

An hour later, Ross woke up, feeling a sharp pain in his jaw. The punch had broken his nose and left the left half of his face bruised and swollen.“Augh!”Coughing hard, Ross opened his eyes and looked around.He was somewhere deep in the woods, with a campfire burning behind him.As he tried to move, he realized his hands were tied behind his back, using prickly vines whose thorns dug into his skin every time he squirmed.“Damn it! Where…am I?”As Ross tried to free his legs, he felt something under them. It was a lanky wooden stool with shaky legs.Once his mental fog cleared, Ross looked down and saw a noose tied around his neck, and realized he had been tied up to a tree branch overhead and set to be hanged.“Get me down. Please!” He yelled. “Olli! Where the hell are you? Please, just get me down. I swear I’ll go back to Glenmonte!”The lanky wooden stool shook under Ross’s weight as he tried to break free from his binds.“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Alex’s voice came from

Through the tinted windows, Tracy saw the faces of the cops approaching them and immediately realized they were Inspector Vinnie’s men.She had known these rotten ones for a long time, since she herself had negotiated with them on Angelo’s behalf many times in the past.The fact that they were now searching for someone meant only one thing: Angelo had asked Vinne to hunt Tracy down.“Do anything, but don’t lower the windows, Salma!” Tracy urged, clutching the headrest of the driver’s seat with her cold fingers. “We need to get out of here, or I am as good as dead!”Shocked by Tracy’s response, Salma turned around in utter confusion.“What do you mean? What have you done, Tracy?” she asked. “Are these cops looking for you?”“I’ll explain later. Please turn the car around!”“I don’t want to get involved in any of—”A knock on the window interrupted their discussion.“Are you deaf? I said, lower the damn windows!” the patrol officer demanded.His partner walked around the car and grabbed