Chapter 6 - The Fall of the Snake
Salvatore's eyes darted toward his six personal bodyguards standing along the perimeter of the room. "Take him down!" he ordered, reaching for his own suit coat.
None of his guards moved.
Sal stepped forward, holding a silent radio. "Your men were disarmed twenty minutes ago, Salvatore. The guards standing in this room report to the Chairman."
Salvatore's face went completely pale. He reached into his coat pocket anyway, pulling a small nickel-plated pistol from his inner lining, aiming it directly at Matteo's chest.
BANG.
The gunshot echoed through the hall, shattering a wall mirror behind the table.
Matteo didn't flinch. He had moved before Salvatore's finger pulled the trigger, grabbing his uncle's wrist and forcing the weapon upward. With a swift, practiced motion, Matteo twisted the arm down, slamming Salvatore onto the mahogany table. The gun clattered across the floor, retrieved instantly by Marco.
Matteo pinned his uncle to the table, his hand gripping the back of Salvatore's neck, forcing his face against the polished wood.
"You took six years of my daughter's life," Matteo whispered into Salvatore's ear, his voice quiet, terrifying, and absolute. "You let her wear scuffed shoes and eat cheap soup while you sat at my table and called me brother."
"Kill me, then!" Salvatore gasped, his breath ragged against the wood. "Do it in front of the council!"
"No," Matteo said, pulling his uncle up by his collar and shoving him into the arms of two waiting soldiers. "Death is too clean. You will spend the rest of your life in a high-security facility in upstate New York, watching your assets liquidated to fund music programs for underprivileged children in this city."
Matteo turned to face the four visiting dons. He straightened his jacket, his expression calm, his authority unquestioned.
May you like
"The Caruso family is under new management," Matteo declared. "Anyone who seeks to do business with us will respect my family, or they will face the same end."
Don Lucchesi stood up, offering a respectful nod. "The council stands with you, Matteo. Clean your house."
