Chapter 5 - The South Side Summit
The diner was a greasy spoon on 79th Street, illuminated by the harsh glow of fluorescent lights. It was late, and the place was nearly empty, save for a few truckers and a couple of exhausted nurses.
Colette sat in a corner booth, a cup of lukewarm coffee in front of her. Hestia lay under the table, a silent, massive presence. Castor and Pollux were in a travel crate in the back of Colette’s borrowed car, parked outside.
David Lin arrived exactly at 10:00 PM, looking like a man condemned. He carried a battered laptop bag and kept looking over his shoulder.
He slid into the booth opposite Colette. "I... I decrypted some of the files," he said, his voice a nervous whisper. "The ones Frank didn't think anyone would ever bother to look at. It's... it's all there. Every wire transfer, every shell company, every offshore account."
He opened his laptop and turned the screen toward Colette.
"This one," he said, pointing to a spreadsheet, "is the main ledger for the skimming operation. Frank’s been siphoning money for seven years. He’s systematically dismantling Valente Cartage and transferring the assets to Vitale Holdings. Nico... Nico owns nothing anymore. His entire empire is now owned by Lorenzo Vitale, through a series of complex shell corporations managed by Frank."
The sheer scale of the betrayal was breathtaking. Nico Valente, the king of Chicago, was a pauper in his own kingdom.
"And this," David said, opening another file, "is the plan for the final takeover. Frank is arranging a meeting for Nico tomorrow night at the docks, supposedly to finalize the Milwaukee deal. But it’s a trap. Lorenzo’s entire crew is going to be there. They're going to kill Nico, and Frank is going to take over the territory."
Colette felt a cold knot of fear. Tomorrow night.
"We have to stop them," Colette said.
"How?" David asked. "We're nobody. We're just... we're just people Frank will squash like bugs."
"We have something Frank doesn't," Colette said. "We have the evidence. And we have the element of surprise."
She pulled out her newly purchased smartphone and called the only person she could think of, even though she despised him.
The call went to voicemail. This is Nico Valente. You know what to do.
Colette hung up. She tried again. Voicemail.
"He won't answer," she said, frustration rising. "He doesn't know who I am."
"Maybe... maybe we should go to the police," David suggested, desperation in his eyes.
"No," Colette said. "If we go to the police, Frank Gallo will know before we even get to the precinct. We need to get this information to Nico directly."
She looked at the clock. 10:30 PM.
"I know where he lives," Colette said. "Or where his penthouse is. Michigan Avenue."
"You can't just walk into the Valente Tower," David said. "It's a fortress."
"I know," Colette said. "But I also know that he has a soft spot for dogs."
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She looked down at Hestia, sleeping peacefully under the table. A crazy, desperate plan formed in her mind.
"David," she said, "I need you to make me a copy of these files. On a new SD card. And I need you to put a letter together for me. A letter explaining everything."
