Chapter 6 - The Bloodline War
The basement warehouse at the old docks smelled of rotting kelp, rust, and old diesel fuel.
A single overhead incandescent bulb cast a harsh, sickly yellow glow over the concrete floor where Vance—the traitorous regional lieutenant—was tied securely to a wooden chair, his face bruised and swollen from interrogation.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the concrete.
Marco Morti stepped out of the shadows. He wore his dark leather overcoat, his face carved from ice, holding a thick manila folder in his left hand. Behind him stood Luca and four armed enforcers.
Vance jerked his head up, his eyes wide with stark terror as he recognized the man who ruled the city.
"Mr... Mr. Morti," Vance whimpered, straining against the ropes. "I swear to God, I didn't mean to give away the full manifest! They threatened my family! Dante's men said if I didn't talk—"
"Dante," Marco interrupted, his voice smooth, quiet, and utterly terrifying. He tossed the manila folder onto Vance’s lap. "Tell me about my cousin, Vance. Tell me how a man sitting in a penthouse in Berlin managed to orchestrate a brake line sabotage in downtown Chicago."
Vance swallowed hard, trembling violently. "Dante... Dante blames you for his exile. He thinks the syndicate belongs to the old bloodline. He wanted to destroy everything you built—starting with your children."
"He killed my son," Marco said, his voice dropping into a register that made Luca step back a fraction of an inch. "And he tried to take my daughter."
"He's coming back, Mr. Morti," Vance blurted out, desperate to buy another breath of air. "Dante is flying into Chicago private airstrip tonight at midnight. He’s bringing a strike team to finish the job once and for all. He thinks you're weak because of the mourning. He thinks you're distracted by Alina's accident."
Marco stared at the traitor for a long, silent moment.
Then, slowly, a cold, razor-sharp smile touched the corners of his mouth.
"Distracted?" Marco murmured softly. "My daughter walked across her bedroom floor yesterday, Vance. I am more focused than I have ever been in my life."
He turned to Luca. "Lock him in the holding cell. Make sure he's comfortable. He's going to listen to a very special broadcast tonight."
"What's the play, boss?" Luca asked, stepping up beside him as they walked away from the shivering prisoner.
"Dante wants a war? I'll give him a welcoming party he'll never forget," Marco said, pulling out his encrypted satellite phone as they stepped out into the crisp night air. "Call the port authority. Shut down airspace over the private airstrip. And tell our heavy-weapons detail to meet me at the hangar by eleven o'clock."
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"And your family, boss?" Luca asked hesitantly. "The estate—"
"The estate is secure," Marco interrupted firmly. "And Alina is stronger than anyone knows."
