Chapter 4 - The Secrets in the Ledger
The basement of Bella Notte was not a place where people went to negotiate.
It was a concrete bunker beneath the kitchen, insulated by thick walls of stone and earth, designed to muffle any sound that might disturb the diners enjoying their veal and Chianti upstairs.
Enzo and Dante were strapped to heavy wooden chairs, facing each other.
Enzo was sweating profusely, his shoulder roughly bandaged by one of my medics just enough to keep him from bleeding to death. Dante, however, looked remarkably calm. The shock had worn off, replaced by the calculating coldness of a man who believed he still held the winning cards.
I stood before them, holding Dante’s leather ledger in my hands.
"You've been very busy, Dante," I said, flipping through the pages. To anyone else, the columns of numbers were just standard shipping manifests. But to me, the patterns were clear. "You weren't just running a shadow protection racket. You were leaking our shipping routes to the Outfit. The three shipments we lost in Cicero last month... that wasn't bad luck. That was you."
Dante sneered, spitting blood onto the concrete floor. "You’re a fool, Marco. You think you’re the king of Chicago? The Outfit has been waiting for an opening. Your cousin Enzo was happy to give it to them. All I did was facilitate the transaction."
"You sold us out to the Valenti family," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "For what? A twenty percent cut of the docks?"
"Thirty," Dante corrected, his voice dripping with arrogance. "And the promise of the West Side. You've grown soft, Marco. You care too much about the neighborhood. You care about widows and little girls. In this business, empathy is a disease. It makes you weak."
"Empathy didn't put you in that chair, Dante," I said, leaning in close. "Your greed did. You thought you were smarter than me because you can do math. But you forgot the most basic equation: loyalty equals survival. Disloyalty equals this."
I turned to Enzo. My cousin was shaking, his eyes darting toward the door.
"Marco, please," Enzo begged. "I was set up. Dante manipulated me! He told me you were going to replace me. He said you were planning to phase me out of the family business. I did it to protect myself!"
"You did it because you are weak, Enzo," I said, feeling a deep, profound sadness. "I loved you like a brother. I would have died for you. But you put a child’s life in danger. You let your men beat a defenseless woman in my name."
I nodded to Luca, who was standing in the shadows.
Luca stepped forward, holding a heavy iron rod.
"No, no! Marco, please!" Enzo screamed, thrashing against his leather restraints.
"I’m not going to kill you, Enzo," I said, turning my back to him. "Not yet. But you are going to tell me exactly when the Valenti family is planning their move. Because if you don't, Luca is going to show you what happens to people who ruin my tailored suits."
"They're coming tonight!" Enzo shrieked, the fear breaking him instantly. "The docks! Warehouse Four! Valenti’s men are meeting Grigori there at midnight to finalize the transfer of the shipping routes. They think you're dead, Marco! They think we already took you out!"
I looked at my watch. It was 11:15 PM.
"Perfect," I said.
I looked at Dante. His calm facade finally cracked, his eyes widening as he realized his grand plan had just fallen apart in a matter of hours.
"You won't survive the night, Marco," Dante hissed. "Valenti has fifty men at the docks."
"Then I’ll just have to bring fifty-one," I said.
I walked out of the basement, leaving the screams of my cousin behind me. As I reached the kitchen, the warmth of the restaurant washed over me, the smell of garlic and yeast a stark contrast to the copper-and-iron stench of the basement.
I walked out to the alley where my men were waiting.
"Load up," I commanded. "We’re going to the docks. And call the police."
May you like
Luca blinked in surprise. "The police, Boss?"
"Yes," I said, a cold smile forming on my lips. "If we’re going to clean up the city, we might as well let the city watch."
