Chapter 4 - THE RAT IN THE TOWER
At 4:00 A.M., the heavy mahogany doors of the grand council chamber slammed open.
Julian Vance, a polished forty-year-old man in a bespoke gray suit, stepped into the room flanked by two of his personal bodyguards. Sitting around the long marble table were ten senior captains of the Moretti family.
At the head of the table sat Murphy, his dark eyes watching Julian enter.
"Murphy, what is the meaning of this lockdown?" Julian demanded smoothly, adjusting his silk tie. "My drivers were turned back at the main gate. The captains are anxious. Is there a federal raid coming?"
"No raid, Julian," Murphy replied calmly, resting his elbows on the table. "Just a housecleaning."
Murphy gestured to Dante.
Dante stepped forward, tossing a heavy, blood-stained leather book onto the center of the marble table.
Julian’s polished composure flickered for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting toward the book. It was Thomas Sterling’s original offshore financial ledger—the document Julian had stolen from Clara’s room two hours ago.
"Where did you get that?" Julian asked, his voice tightening slightly.
"Clara Sterling gave it to me," Murphy answered, leaning forward. "Along with a detailed statement about the four years she spent chained in your basement in Indiana."
A violent hush fell over the council chamber. The senior captains exchanged stunned, outraged looks. In the Moretti family, harming women and children was a line that resulted in immediate execution.
Julian let out a cold, artificial laugh. "Clara Sterling? Murphy, the woman is a delusional trespasser! She’s the daughter of a thief who stole forty million dollars from us! You're taking the word of a crazy maid over your own cousin?!"
"I didn't just take her word, Julian," Murphy said quietly.
Murphy pulled a small silver USB drive from his pocket and threw it onto the table. "Two hours ago, my tech team recovered the security footage from the hidden passageway behind Room 104. We have clear infrared video of you entering her room at midnight, grabbing her by the throat, and threatening to murder her three-year-old daughter."
Julian’s face went completely drained of color.
May you like
His bodyguards instinctively reached for their sidearms, but before their hands could touch their holsters, six Moretti enforcers stepped out from the shadows, pressing suppressed handguns directly against the backs of their skulls.
"Disarm them," Murphy commanded coldly.
