Chapter 8 - The Alliance of Two Empires
I didn't call the police on Vincent right away. Instead, I made a call to a private care facility outside Chicago. A call to a man who hadn't spoken to the world in five years, but who still held the ultimate power in the city.
Salvatore Russo.
The old don was eighty-two years old, hooked up to dialysis, but his mind remained as sharp as a razor. When my security team brought his private encrypted phone to his bedside, he answered with a raspy growl.
"Who is this?"
"Michael Harrison," I said. "I have your daughter Elena. And I have your granddaughter, Sophie."
The line went dead silent for a long moment. The old man's breathing was heavy. "Elena... she is alive?"
"She is dying, Salvatore. She has advanced cancer, and she is spending her final days being hunted by your son Vincent because he wants a ledger she took six years ago. Vincent just sent a hit squad to my home, endangering your granddaughter's life."
A low, terrifying rumble came from the old man's throat. "Vincent did what?"
"Vincent wants your throne, and he's willing to kill your blood to get it," I said cold and clear. "I have the ledger. I don't care about your money or your syndicate. I care about protecting my daughter. I am prepared to hand the ledger over to you, ensuring your family's legacy remains safe from the Feds, on one condition."
"Speak," Salvatore demanded.
May you like
"You strip Vincent of his power. Completely. You remove him from Chicago, and you give my family total, unconditional immunity. If you refuse, I give the ledger to the FBI, and the Russo family name ends this week."
There was no hesitation from the patriarch. "Done. Bring my daughter to see me before she passes. Let me see my granddaughter. And Vincent... Vincent will be taken care of."
