Chapter 6 - The Truth Exposed
Ten minutes later, the street was cordoned off. Sirens flashed red and blue against the brick buildings.
Aleandro knelt on the pavement, completely ignoring the bullet holes in his jacket and the blood pooling near the shattered glass. He held a trembling Sophia tightly against his chest, murmuring soothing, gentle words into her hair.
"It’s okay, peanut. I’ve got you. You're safe," Aleandro whispered, his voice thick with an emotion no enemy had ever heard.
Maria ran over, dropping to her knees, sobbing as she pulled Sophia into her arms. "My baby! Are you okay? My sweet baby!"
"Mommy!" Sophia cried, burying her face in Maria’s neck.
Aleandro stood up slowly. His face was carved from absolute, terrifying granite. He turned around, walking over to where Marco Ricci was sitting on the curb, his right shoulder bleeding profusely while two of Aleandro’s loyal enforcers held him down.
Marco looked up, pale, sweating, and trembling in terror.
"Boss... I can explain," Marco choked out, clutching his wound. "The gunmen... it was a setup by the Queens syndicate—"
Aleandro didn't yell. He didn't roar. He walked up to Marco, crouched down until their eyes were inches apart, and spoke in a whisper so cold it froze the blood in Marco's veins.
"You didn't aim at the gunmen, Marco," Aleandro said softly. "I saw you in the reflection of the glass. You lined up your sights on my spine. And when Mrs. Alvarez shot your shoulder, your gun was pointed right at my chest."
Marco swallowed hard, his eyes wide with absolute horror.
Aleandro stood up slowly. He looked at his enforcers.
"Take him to the deep warehouse in Brooklyn," Aleandro commanded, his voice ringing with finality. "Strip his rank. Empty his accounts. And make sure he understands that betrayal against my family is a debt that can only be paid in full."
As the enforcers dragged the screaming, weeping traitor toward a black van, Aleandro turned back toward Maria and Sophia.
Sophia had calmed down, wiping her tears with the back of her small hand. She looked up at Aleandro, her big eyes wide and serious.
"Did we still get our strawberry ice cream?" she asked softly.
Aleandro’s harsh, terrifying features softened instantly. A slow, gentle smile broke across his face—a smile that belonged not to a mafia Don, but to a man who had finally found something worth protecting more than his own life.
"We didn't get it yet, peanut," Aleandro said, offering his calloused hand to her once more. "But the day isn't over. Let's go get our ice cream."
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Sophia beamed, taking his hand without hesitation.
As they walked down the sunlit New York sidewalk together, flanked by Maria, the city’s underworld knew that the ruthless Moretti boss hadn't grown weak—he had finally found his true strength.
