Chapter 4 - The Battle for Long Island
The rain-soaked grounds of the Bellini estate in Long Island were silent, save for the wind howling through the old oak trees.
Suddenly, the security lights flickered and died. The massive iron gates drifted open, their electronic locks disabled by Evelyn’s digital intervention.
Dante Bellini and his strike team slipped through the darkness like ghosts. They wore night-vision goggles, their movements silent, precise, and lethal. Within minutes, the Valetti guards patrolling the gardens were neutralized, taken down with silenced weapons before they could even sound the alarm.
Inside the grand mansion, Victor Bellini stood in his study, trying frantically to restart his laptop.
"What is happening?" Victor roared at his head of security. "Why are the cameras dark? Where is the backup generator?"
"The system was hacked from the inside, sir," the guard replied, his voice shaking. "Someone bypassed the security protocol. We have no communications. The phone lines are cut."
"It’s her," Victor hissed, his face contorting with rage. "It’s that bitch Evelyn. I told Julian Valetti we should have killed her first!"
"It's too late for that, Victor," a cold, smooth voice said from the doorway.
Victor spun around.
Dante Bellini stood in the entrance of the study, his black suit soaked with rain, his weapon drawn and pointed directly at his cousin’s chest. Behind him, Dominic and Marcus stood guard, their faces grim.
"Dante," Victor stammered, trying to put on a mask of innocence. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you attacking my home?"
"You sold my family, Victor," Dante said, his voice dropping to a terrifying register. "You gave the Valettis the coordinates to the penthouse. You tried to murder the head of your own syndicate."
"I did what was necessary!" Victor snapped, his desperation turning into defiance. "You've gone soft, Dante! You care more about your spreadsheets and your pretty little accountant than about the business! We are mafia, not investment bankers! The Valettis offered us a real partnership!"
"The Valettis offered to make you their puppet," Dante corrected coldly. "And you were too stupid to see it."
"You won't kill me, Dante," Victor sneered, stepping back toward his desk. "We are blood. The commission will never accept a boss who kills his own cousin without a trial."
"The commission doesn't need to know," Dante said. "Because as of tonight, Victor... you never existed."
Before Victor could reach for the weapon hidden beneath his desk, Dante fired a single, precise shot. Victor collapsed, his body slumping over the mahogany desk, his blood pooling over the financial ledgers he had tried to steal.
"Clean this up," Dante ordered Dominic. "And find Julian Valetti. I want him dead by sunrise."
Suddenly, Dante's earpiece crackled with a loud, static-filled scream.
"Dante! Help!"
It was Evelyn’s voice, raw with terror.
Dante’s heart stopped. "Evelyn? What is it? What’s happening?"
"They... they found me," Evelyn gasped, the sound of glass shattering and gunfire echoing through the transmitter. "A second team... they bypassed the Foundry's backup security. They have Marcus's old key... Dante, they’re inside!"
A loud grunt echoed through the earpiece, followed by the sound of a struggle.
"Evelyn!" Dante roared, his composure completely shattering. "Evelyn!"
A cold, mocking voice came through the transmitter. It was Julian Valetti, the head of the Valetti family.
"Good evening, Dante," Julian laughed. "You thought you were so smart, attacking Long Island. But while you were busy killing your cousin, we were busy securing your assets. I have your little accountant. And if you want her to see the sunrise, you are going to meet me at the Brooklyn shipyards. Alone. With the master keys to the Swiss accounts."
The line went dead.
May you like
Dante stood in the center of the bloody study, his breathing ragged, his eyes wild with a terrifying, primal fury. He looked at Dominic, his voice dropping to a whisper that made even his hardened men shiver.
"Prepare the helicopters. We are going to Brooklyn."
