Chapter 7 - RECKONING ON THE WATERFRONT
Gabriel crouched down until he was at eye level with Sal, who was trembling violently under the weight of the underworld king's gaze.
"Who in Boston gave the order?" Gabriel asked, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it cut through the damp warehouse air like a razor blade.
Sal swallowed hard, blood pooling in his mouth. "F-Frankie Moretti... the boss of the North End docks. He said your empire was rotting from the inside out... he said you were getting soft because of the kid."
Gabriel stood up slowly. He looked down at Marcus, who was weeping uncontrollably in the chair.
"You traded thirty years of brotherhood, security, and family for a handful of silver coins and a promise from a dead man," Gabriel said, his voice dripping with absolute contempt. "You thought I wouldn't find out. You thought the shadows would protect you."
"Boss, please!" Marcus screamed as Dante stepped forward with a pair of heavy wire cutters. "Have mercy! I'm sorry!"
"Mercy was what I gave you when I pulled you out of the gutters," Gabriel said coldly, turning his back on him. "Dante, take care of him. Send Sal back to Frankie Moretti with a message: tell him Providence belongs to the Romanos, and anyone who touches my family will feed the fish before sunrise."
Chloe watched the scene unfold, her heart pounding. There was no romance in the underworld—only blood, loyalty, and iron rules. Yet as she looked at Gabriel, she didn't see a monster; she saw a father who had stared into the abyss of losing his only child and had chosen to tear the world apart to get her back.
Dante stepped over, untying Marcus and dragging him toward the rear exit toward the dark waters of the bay, while two guards hauled Sal away.
Gabriel walked over to Chloe, his expression softening just a fraction as he looked at her.
"Are you alright, Miss Vance?" he asked, noticing the way her hands were trembling.
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"I'm... I'm surviving," Chloe whispered, offering a faint, tired smile. "Is it really over?"
"The snake's head has been cut off," Gabriel said, looking out toward the dark, rolling waves of Narragansett Bay. "Moretti will try to retaliate, but he won't survive the week. You helped save my daughter tonight, Chloe. In our world, a debt like that is sacred."
