Chapter 3 - The Blood-Stained Ledger
The grand dining hall was suffocatingly tense. Eight men in dark suits sat around a forty-foot oak table, their faces hardened by decades of crime and violence. At the head sat Gabriel Romano. To his right was Vanessa Sterling, representing her family’s massive financial backing. To his left sat Victor Sloane.
Evelyn walked silently around the perimeter of the room, pouring dark coffee from a silver pot into porcelain cups. Titan walked beside her, his nails clicking faintly on the polished marble floor. The men at the table watched the dog with visible unease.
"Is the hound really necessary, Gabriel?" asked Donati, an older capo with silver hair and a thick scar across his throat. "We are discussing high-level distribution. Not running a kennel."
"Titan stays," Gabriel said smoothly, taking a sip from his glass. "He has developed a keen sense for snakes lately."
A subtle shift went around the table. Eyes flicked back and forth.
Vanessa leaned forward, her voice sweet as honey. "Gentlemen, let's focus. The shipment of luxury imports arriving at Pier 42 tonight represents forty million dollars. The Moretti family has threatened to seize the dock. We need to decide if we fight or compromise."
"We don't compromise with Moretti," Gabriel said coldly. "We crush them."
"Easy for you to say," spat Silvio, a younger boss from the south side. "Your estate burned last night! Moretti is already inside your perimeter, Gabriel. You're getting sloppy. Or maybe you're getting soft."
Silvio’s hand drifted subtly beneath the edge of the table.
Titan’s ears snapped forward. A low growl rattled deep in the dog's chest, his eyes locking onto Silvio. Evelyn stopped pouring coffee, her hand freezing over Donati’s cup.
"Silvio," Gabriel warned quietly. "Take your hand off your lap."
"I'm just reaching for my handkerchief, Gabriel," Silvio sneered.
"He's lying," Evelyn spoke out, her voice cutting through the silent room like a knife.
Every head turned to her. Vanessa looked appalled. "Insolent girl! Silence yourself!"
"His pulse in his neck is racing, and he’s holding a brass key in his left palm," Evelyn said, pointing at Silvio’s left hand tucked under the table. "I saw it when I served his water. That key belongs to the basement armory in the east wing."
Silvio’s face went pale, then twisted in rage. He stood up abruptly, pulling a snub-nosed revolver from his jacket. "You bitch!"
Before Silvio could raise the gun, Titan leaped across the table.
The 150-pound Cane Corso smashed into Silvio, shattering porcelain plates and crystal glasses. Silvio hit the floor hard, screaming as Titan pinned his arm to the marble, his jaws locked around the man's wrist until the gun clattered away across the floor.
Chaos erupted. Two of Silvio’s men drew their weapons, but Gabriel was faster. He pulled his weapon and fired twice, hitting both men in the shoulders before they could discharge a single round.
Victor pulled his gun, aiming directly at Silvio, but Gabriel held up a hand.
"Hold!" Gabriel shouted.
Titan stood over the bleeding Silvio, growling, waiting for the command. Evelyn rushed forward, not away from the dog, but toward him. "Titan, down! Leave it!"
The dog hesitated, looking at Evelyn, then slowly backed away, standing like a shield in front of her.
Gabriel walked over to Silvio, kicking the fallen gun away. He reached into Silvio’s pocket and pulled out a small, red leather-bound notebook.
"The ledger," Gabriel whispered, opening the pages. "The internal ledger of all our offshore accounts." He looked up, his eyes turning to ice as he read the handwriting inside. "This isn't Silvio’s writing."
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Gabriel turned the book to face the table.
The handwriting belonged to Vanessa Sterling.
