Chapter 306: The Plan To Kidnap Eve 2

The room went quiet.

"That’s extremely dangerous," Luca said carefully. "Recruiting current staff members means they know what we’re planning. They become loose ends."

"Only if we need to tie them off," Dante replied coldly. "And they only need to be loose ends if they pose a threat. Which they won’t, because they’ll understand that cooperation is in their best interest."

"How do we convince them of that?" Carmine asked.

"Money," Dante said simply. "Fear. Leverage. Some combination of the three. People are motivated by wants and needs. Find out what the staff members want and need. Exploit it."

Luca nodded slowly, understanding the logic even as his expression suggested he didn’t love it.

"I’ll have detailed dossiers on all current penthouse staff by tomorrow," Carmine said. "Financials, family connections, criminal records, vices. Everything we need to find leverage."

"Good," Dante said. "And I need real-time intelligence on Dimitri’s movements. Where he goes. Who he meets with. His routines. I want to know his schedule better than he knows it."

***

The dossiers came back comprehensive.

The primary housekeeper was a woman named Maria....age 47, divorced, supporting two adult children and an aging mother. She made decent money at the penthouse but her financial situation was fragile. One major expense would break her.

The secondary housekeeper was a man named Robert...age 34, gambling addiction, significant debt, wife threatening divorce. He needed money badly.

The tertiary housekeeper was a younger woman named Lira age 23, just out of college, student loans, working to support a younger brother with cerebral palsy. Family-oriented. Vulnerable to leverage involving her brother’s care.

"Any of these three would be viable targets," Carmine said, laying out the files. "Maria needs cash. Robert is desperate enough to do almost anything for money. Lira’s loyalty to her brother makes her predictable."

"Start with Robert," Dante decided. "Desperation makes people compliant. Approach him with a job offer. Half a million dollars for one afternoon of cooperation. Tell him what we need. Make it clear what happens if he cooperates vs. if he refuses."

"And if he refuses?" Luca asked.

"Then we move to Maria or Lira," Dante said. "One of them will cooperate. They always do, eventually."

***

Robert had cooperated.

The half-million-dollar offer had been too much for a man drowning in debt to refuse. He’d agreed to help, understanding what the help entailed but choosing not to ask too many questions about details.

Which meant they now had inside access to the penthouse.

"Here’s what we know," Dante said, studying the new intelligence Carmine had provided. "Eve stays in the penthouse most of the day. Morning routine: coffee in the kitchen at 7 AM, yoga or exercise from 7:30-8:30 AM, shower, breakfast at 9 AM. She works from the office suite on the second floor, usually from 10 AM to 6 PM. Occasionally leaves for business meetings but always with security escort. Evening routine: dinner at 7 PM, reading or television until bed around 11 PM."

"Security detail?" Luca asked.

"Two rotating teams. Four men per team, eight hours on/eight hours off. Two men inside the penthouse at all times. Two men in the lobby. Two in the surrounding area. Total of six active security personnel when Eve is in residence."

"That’s manageable," Carmine said. "We’d need a coordinated strike. Inside team and outside team working simultaneously."

"The best extraction point is her morning exercise routine," Dante mused, studying the timeline. "She’s in the secondary gym, third floor...for approximately one hour. Just her and one security guard. The other security personnel are monitoring entry points."

"The guard would need to be neutralized," Luca said.

"Or compromised," Dante countered. "Carmine, what’s the background on the security detail? Are they all Dimitri’s people or is there outside rotation?"

"Mostly Dimitri’s inner circle," Carmine said. "But there’s one guard on the rotation....Jack who’s independent contract. He picks up shifts occasionally for overtime pay."

"Get to him," Dante commanded. "Find out what he wants. Find his price."

"On it," Carmine said.

***

Jack McCarthy’s price was $200,000.

It was less than Robert’s bribe, which suggested either McCarthy was more honest about his own value or he was hungrier for money. Either way, he’d agreed to help.

The plan was taking shape:

Robert would get Eve out of her locked office suite by triggering a false alarm in another part of the building. She’d move to the secondary gym to exercise while Dimitri’s security team investigated the alarm.

Jack McCarthy, on duty as her sole gym guard, would allow a three-person extraction team to enter. The team would take Eve using minimal force, because Dante wanted her alive and undamaged, extract her through the service stairwell to the basement, and move her to a waiting vehicle.

The entire operation would take less than five minutes.

"The real challenge is maintaining operational security," Luca said, reviewing the plan for the fifth time. "Once Eve is taken, Dimitri will mobilize every resource he has. We need a clean extraction with no loose ends."

"Robert and McCarthy both understand the consequences of failure," Dante said. "They’re motivated to cooperate completely."

"And afterward?" Luca asked carefully. "What happens to them?"

Dante met his gaze steadily. "They disappear. We provide new identities, new locations, enough money to live comfortably in another country. They never contact their old lives again. They vanish."

"Which means...."

"Which means they can’t testify against us," Dante finished. "Can’t be leveraged by Dimitri. Can’t become a liability."

It wasn’t a mercy. But it was better than the alternative, which was death.

Luca nodded, accepting the logic.

"What about the extraction team itself?" Luca asked. "Three men going into a secure facility. That’s extremely high-risk."

"I’m aware," Dante said. "Which is why we need the best. And I need you to lead them."

Luca’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes.

"That’s a suicide mission," Luca said quietly. "Going in to extract her with minimal backup, dealing with security response, getting out clean. The odds of failure are high."