A couple of Xavier's men were waiting outside when Xavier and Arturo emerged from the safe house. The men quickly fell in line, trailing them like shadows. The spring morning breeze, cool and sharp on Xavier's face, did nothing to steady his rioting emotions. Arturo's brooding silence pressed heavier than the air, dragging his mood lower with each step.

"Spit it out," Xavier muttered as they crossed the gravel toward the waiting car.

Arturo said nothing.

The driver opened the car door, and both men climbed in.

Arturo immediately slid a slim, folded paper across to Xavier. He flipped it open, and his jaw tightened, a vein throbbing at his temple.

YOU'VE BROUGHT FIRE UNDER YOUR ROOF. KEEP HER CLOSE AND YOU'LL BLEED FOR IT.

"What the hell does this mean?" Xavier waved the paper at Arturo.

"I'm not sure yet, Boss. But it's obvious who it's referring to." Arturo's intelligent eyes were devoid of emotion.

"I'm guessing there's no evidence to help us identify the sender?" Xavier stared at the slip of paper as if willing it to provide answers.

"Nothing. No sender. No trail. It was found wedged under my car's wiper. Yet none of our security cameras or guards caught anyone near the vehicle." Arturo's tone was clipped. "Whoever left it knew how to slip past us."

"Or is one of us," Xavier observed. He squeezed the paper and flung it away. It landed on the car window before falling. Arturo picked it up and pocketed it.

"Damn it all!" Xavier's head felt like it was going to explode. He massaged the vein hammering at his temple.

"You're long overdue for a check-up, you know," Arturo said quietly. "You're not a toddler. Your health is paramount."

Xavier ignored him. "Get to the bottom of this. I need to know who sent it and what they mean. Before we get blindsided."

"Xav, go see your doctor. All this will amount to nothing if you die a preventable death."

The driver's voice came through the speakers. "We're here, Mr. Rossetti."

Both men alighted and took the elevator to the penthouse, where Xavier's office was located.

"One more thing. I need you to dig up everything about Kimberly. Every detail. Don't leave any stones unturned, Arturo." Xavier opened his drawer and took out a medication bottle, popping pills into his mouth. Arturo handed him water.

Xavier's phone buzzed on his mahogany desk. He looked at the screen and sighed, then stared out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. He tapped his temple, wincing as sunlight bounced off the glass. The phone kept vibrating. Arturo's eyes flicked from his boss to the phone, but he said nothing. Xavier clenched and unclenched his fist before finally swiping to answer.

"Zosia," he murmured, still staring out at the spring morning.

"Busy?" Her voice slid through the line, icy and low, layered with suspicion.

Xavier's eyes narrowed. "Handling business. What do you want?"

A pause. Then the faint sound of ice clinking against glass. Xavier looked at his watch. 11:09 AM.

"Darling," she purred. "I hope you're not entertaining strays again in your little hideouts?"

Xavier sighed, stretching his long legs, eyes shut. "Keep sniffing, Zosia. Now, if you don't mind, I've got more urgent matters."

"Oh, I do mind, Xavier." The sweetness in her voice sharpened into steel. "I know you. I know every move you make, dear husband. So I ask again, who is the woman?"

Xavier's head throbbed into a full-blown migraine. He massaged his temple and whispered harshly, "Zosia, I'm sure your intel can put you up to speed on that minor detail. Now run along. I've got work to do."

"Oh, one more thing." Her voice turned almost playful. "A funny incident occurred yesterday. I came across an old name that fascinates me. Mancini. Ring any bells? I thought you'd find it as interesting as I did, Mr. Rossetti."

The line went dead.

Xavier threw his phone onto the desk, his face carved from stone.

"Who the hell is the Ice Queen consorting with?" Arturo asked under his breath.

"Find the source feeding Zosia and shut them up. ASAP." Xavier's voice was cold.

Arturo nodded. "Already on it."

"Also, find out everything you can about the Mancini case. What exactly happened that year? Why is it suddenly resurfacing now?" Xavier leaned forward. "I want every detail, and I want them like yesterday."

"What about that podcaster? The one digging into old cases?" Arturo asked carefully.

Xavier's expression darkened. "What podcaster?"

"Rae Brooks. True crime. She's been circling the Rossetti family for weeks. Her last episode dropped hints about powerful mafia families and buried cases." Arturo pulled out his phone. "I've been monitoring her. She's good. Thorough. And she's getting too close to things that should stay buried."

Xavier's mind raced. A podcaster investigating the Rossettis. Zosia mentioning the Mancinis. Kimberly kidnapped by professionals waiting for a buyer. The threatening note about fire under his roof.

"Pull up her episodes. I want to hear what she's saying."

Arturo queued up the latest episode on his phone. A woman's voice filled the office—calm, ominous, precise.

"...There's a cold trail that's leading us to one of America's most powerful mafia families. They buried it just as they buried the man, but we are rekindling the buried ashes, my friends..."

Xavier listened, his expression unreadable. The voice was disguised, modulated, but there was something about the cadence, the careful way she chose words.

"Find out who she is," Xavier said quietly. "Her real identity. Where she operates from. Who her sources are."

"Already working on it. She's careful. Uses multiple layers of encryption, VPNs, anonymous servers." Arturo paused. "But everyone makes mistakes eventually."

"What do you want me to do when we find her?" Arturo asked, getting to his feet.

Xavier was quiet for a moment. "Nothing. Yet. If she's investigating the Mancini case, she might lead us to whoever's stirring up old ghosts." He looked up at Arturo. "But keep close tabs on her. I want to know what she knows before she broadcasts it."

Arturo nodded and headed toward the door.

"And Arturo?" Arturo turned. Xavier's eyes were hard. "Keep your investigation of Kimberly objective. I need facts, not opinions."

Arturo's mouth twitched. "Why are you worried, Boss?"

"Because that note says keeping her close will make me bleed." Xavier's voice dropped. "And I need to know if it's a warning or a threat. If she's a victim or bait."

"And if she's bait?"

Xavier didn't answer immediately. When he did, his voice was cold. "Then someone's going to bleed. Just not me."

Arturo gave a mock salute and shut the door behind him.

Alone, Xavier stood at the window, staring out at the city sprawling below. Somewhere out there, someone was playing a game with pieces he didn't fully understand yet.

Kimberly. The Mancinis. This podcaster. Zosia's sudden interest. The breach in his security.

They were connected. They had to be.

He just needed to figure out how before the fire under his roof burned everything down.

His phone buzzed again. A text from an unknown number.

*The phoenix doesn't belong to you. Return her before you lose everything.*

Xavier stared at the message. Phoenix. The same word he'd called Kimberly that morning.

The same word used in the threatening note.

Someone was watching. Someone knew.

And they wanted Kimberly back.

Over his dead body.