CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SEVEN – MIND OVER BODY

The days following the fateful raid on the Rossi compound were a whirlwind of activity, Joan's world once more upended as she found herself thrust into a new realm of responsibilities within Antonio's criminal empire. Gone were the grueling training sessions, replaced instead by endless hours spent poring over intelligence reports, supply chain data, and tactical assessments of rival outfits. Antonio had seen her potential firsthand, had witnessed the cold, calculating efficiency with which she had executed the daring heist. Now, it seemed, he intended to put those skills to full use. "You've got a mind for this, Keppler," he rasped during one of their increasingly frequent strategy sessions. "A tactical intelligence that most of these brutes can only dream of." His gaze bored into her, serpentine and unsettling. "I need that mind of yours, that ability to see patterns, to anticipate moves before they're made. It's what separates the players from the pawns in this game." Joan held