Chapter 5 - THE COUNCIL OF SHADOWS
The subterranean bunker beneath the old textile mill was far from a crude hideout; it was a state-of-the-art command center. Bank-vault doors, high-resolution satellite monitors tracking every major intersection in Providence, and secure communication lines hummed quietly in the background.
Gabriel led them into a conference room surrounded by dark wood paneling and glowing computer screens. Elena was settled on a plush leather sofa in the corner with a warm blanket and a cup of tea brought by one of Dante's guards. She was already asleep, exhaustion finally claiming her small body.
Chloe sat stiffly at the edge of a mahogany table. Across from her sat Gabriel Romano, Dante, and an older, sharp-eyed man with graying hair named Vincent, who served as the Romano family consigliere.
"The leak didn't come from the docks," Vincent was saying, sliding a dossier across the table filled with financial transaction logs and security access codes. "It came from inside the family estate. Someone bypassed the central biometric scanner at 7:45 PM—exactly twelve minutes before the first shooter entered the fairgrounds."
Gabriel didn't look at the files. His eyes were fixed on a small silver pocket watch resting on the table. "Who had clearance for that sector?"
"Only three people," Vincent replied grimly. "Myself, Dante, and Marcus."
The name dropped into the room like a lead weight.
Chloe looked between the men. "Who is Marcus?"
"My head of security," Gabriel said coldly, his jaw tightening. "A man I pulled out of the gutter ten years ago and trusted with my life—and my daughter's."
"Marcus isn't just missing," Dante added, leaning against the back of his chair with his arms crossed. "His private accounts received a wire transfer of two million dollars from an offshore shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands just five minutes after the kidnapping attempt began. He sold out his own brothers for pocket change."
"He didn't just sell out the family," Gabriel murmured, standing up and walking over to the large tactical map on the wall. "He sold out an eight-year-old child to people who want to strip away every inch of territory we've spent thirty years building."
"What are our options?" Vincent asked.
Gabriel turned around slowly, his expression like cold marble. "We don't wait for them to come to us. Marcus thinks he has us cornered. He thinks by taking my daughter, he broke the crown."
He looked directly across the table at Chloe.
"Miss Vance, you saw the men at the diner. Did any of them wear insignia or tattoos?"
Chloe strained her memory, picturing the chaotic seconds in the kitchen. "One of them... when he reached for his jacket, his sleeve pulled back. He had a tattoo on his wrist. A snake coiled around a broken anchor."
Vincent’s breath hitched. He exchanged a sharp look with Dante.
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"The Maritime Syndicate," Vincent whispered. "Out of Boston. They’ve been trying to muscle into Providence ports for six months."
Gabriel’s eyes flashed with a lethal brilliance. "Marcus didn't just betray us for money. He handed the keys of the city to our oldest rivals. And tonight, we're going to take them back."
