CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT – THE ALLY IS GONE

The following afternoon, Jasmine found herself once again in the shadowy alley where she'd first met Vito. Her heart raced as she glanced at her watch – 2:58 PM. Vito was late, which was unusual for the punctual informant. A cat yowled somewhere in the distance, making Jasmine jump. She chided herself for being so on edge, but after the events of the past few weeks, she couldn't help but feel that danger lurked around every corner. "Psst! Jasmine!" She whirled around to see Vito emerging from behind a dumpster. His usually slick appearance was disheveled, his eyes darting nervously from side to side. "Vito? What's going on?" Jasmine asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "No time to explain," Vito hissed, reaching into his jacket. "Take this. It's everything I've got on the Moretti's operation. Names, dates, locations – all of it." He thrust a USB drive into her hand. Jasmine stared at it, her mind reeling. This was more than she'd ever expected to get from Vito. "Why are you