Chapter 4 - The Dragon on the Wrist
The basement beneath the Moretti estate was built of twelve-inch reinforced concrete, far away from where any sound could reach the living quarters above.
Aleandro stood behind a thick panel of one-way reinforced glass, watching the man tied to a steel chair in the center of the interrogation room.
The man was wearing a white kitchen uniform, stripped of his apron. On his left wrist, clearly visible under the harsh overhead fluorescent light, was a crude black tattoo of a coiled dragon—the emblem of the Dragos syndicate, a violent Romanian crime organization based out of South Brooklyn.
Marco, Aleandro’s chief of security, stepped out of the interrogation room, wiping his bloodied knuckles with a white towel. He approached Aleandro, bowing his head slightly.
"He was hired three weeks ago under a forged identity, Boss," Marco reported, his voice low. "His real name is Viktor Radu. A former mercenary working for Viktor Dragos."
"Who gave him the poison?" Aleandro asked, his tone deceptively pleasant.
"He won't speak yet," Marco replied. "He knows Dragos will kill his family if he turns informant. But we found three hundred thousand dollars in an offshore account transferred to him yesterday morning. The wire originated from an intermediary firm in Providence."
Aleandro’s eyes narrowed into dark slits. "Providence. The Falcone family."
"It appears to be a joint venture, sir," Marco said grimly. "Don Carmine Falcone supplied the funding and the synthetic toxin, while Viktor Dragos supplied the assassin. They knew you were consolidating the eastern shipping ports next month. Killing Ethan was meant to break you—to force you into a war of emotion so you would make mistakes."
Aleandro looked through the glass at the assassin. A cold, lethal clarity settled over him.
"Falcone knows that the assassination failed," Aleandro murmured softly. "Which means he also knows that a three-year-old girl in my house was the one who saw Radu's face before the cake was served."
Marco froze. "You think they will target the child?"
"If Radu disappears inside my cellar, Falcone will assume the girl can identify every man involved in the kitchen delivery," Aleandro said, turning away from the window. "A man who is desperate enough to poison an eight-year-old boy will have no hesitation about eliminating a three-year-old witness."
"I will double the perimeter guards around the estate immediately, Boss," Marco offered firmly.
"No," Aleandro said, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Perimeter guards are not enough. Move my primary tactical team to the third floor. I want eyes on Sophia and Lily at every second."
He walked toward the iron door leading to the stairs, stopping just before he opened it.
"And Marco?"
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"Yes, Don Aleandro?"
"Tell our captain in Brooklyn to execute every Dragos lieutenant operating near the docks by sunrise. Let Carmine Falcone know that the game has officially begun."
