A Secretary Was Left Handcuffed in a Freezing Warehouse by Her Husband, but the Mafia Boss Who Found Her Knew Why a Doctor Was Coming at Dawn

Dr. Arthur Vance’s private psychiatric clinic in Lincoln Park was an imposing, ivy-covered brownstone that catered exclusively to Chicago's wealthiest families.

At eight o'clock on Thursday morning, Dr. Vance walked into his opulent private office, set his leather briefcase on his mahogany desk, and froze.

Sitting in his executive leather chair was Damian Caruso.

Standing near the window was Mason Reed, holding a thick manila folder.

"What is the meaning of this?" Vance demanded, his voice trembling as he reached toward his desk intercom. "Security—"

"Press that button, Arthur, and the medical board receives forty pages of offshore banking records from your Cayman account," Mason interrupted casually, opening the file.

Vance’s hand stopped inches from the button. His face drained of color.

Damian leaned forward in the executive chair, placing his elbows on the polished desk.

"Sit down, Doctor," Damian commanded softly.

Vance sank into the armchair across from his own desk, his breathing shallow and rapid. "What do you want?"

"Claire Mercer," Damian said. "Or rather, Claire Whitaker."

"I... I don't know where she is," Vance stammered. "Her husband reported her missing. She's mentally unstable—"

"She is as sane as I am," Damian cut in, his dark eyes locking onto Vance with predatory focus. "And you know it. You accepted six hundred thousand dollars from Evan Mercer over the past fourteen months to forge medical evaluations claiming she suffered from delusional paranoia."

"You can't prove that!" Vance gasped.

Mason stepped forward, dropping a stack of printed bank transfers onto the desk. "Evan paid you through a shell corporation named Apex Consulting. The transfers were authorized forty-eight hours before every major psychiatric assessment you filed with the court."

Vance buried his face in his hands, trembling uncontrollably. "Evan promised me total immunity. He said she would be permanently institutionalized in a private facility in Indiana where no one would ever question her records!"

"Evan lied to you," Damian said coldly. "He was going to let you take the fall if the state police ever investigated her disappearance."

Damian stood up, walking around the desk until he was standing directly behind Vance's chair. He placed a heavy, reassuring hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"You have a choice today, Arthur," Damian said softly in his ear. "Option one: you stick with Evan. By noon, your license is revoked, your offshore accounts are frozen, and the State's Attorney issues an arrest warrant for medical fraud and conspiracy."

Vance swallowed hard. "And... option two?"

"Option two: you sign a sworn affidavit detailing Evan Mercer's extortion scheme," Damian instructed. "You hand over every authentic medical file showing Claire is completely healthy. And when Evan calls you for your scheduled court deposition tomorrow afternoon, you tell him everything is going according to plan."