Quickbyte

Chapter 7 - The Lion’s Den

The sprawling estate of Don Salvatore sat on a private cliffside in Greenwich, Connecticut, surrounded by iron security gates, motion sensors, and a private army of fifty heavily armed mercenaries. Through the towering wrought-iron entrance gates, a convoy of three sleek, black armored SUVs rolled through without stopping, their high-beams cutting through the misty night air.

Inside the main dining hall, chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting light on imported marble floors, priceless artwork, and long tables laden with roasted meats, vintage wines, and the elite rulers of the East Coast underworld. Don Salvatore sat at the head of the long mahogany table—an old man with sharp, predatory eyes, silver hair combed back neatly, and a glass of scotch in his wrinkled hand. He was laughing softly at a joke told by a capo from Philadelphia when the heavy oak double doors at the end of the hall suddenly blew inward with a deafening crash.

The room erupted into chaos. Glasses shattered, men scrambled backward, and a dozen bodyguards pulled their weapons, aiming them at the entrance.

Through the smoke and splintered wood stepped Vincent Maronei.

He didn't look like a subordinate coming to pay respects. He walked with the slow, measured stride of an executioner. Behind him marched Tony Rini and twelve elite enforcers, their assault rifles held at the ready, blocking every exit.

"What is the meaning of this outrage?!" Salvatore bellowed, standing up from his chair, his face flushing purple with rage. He slammed his glass down on the table, spilling dark amber liquid across the white linen. "Vincent! Have you lost your mind? Put your weapons down before you trigger a war!"

Vincent stopped ten feet from the head of the table. He didn't blink. He reached into his suit jacket, pulled out the thick manila folder, and tossed it across the table. It slid smoothly past roasted poultry and crystal decanters, coming to a halt right against Salvatore’s plate.

"Sit down, Salvatore," Vincent said quietly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the silent, terrified room. "And open the folder."

Salvatore stared at the folder, his chest heaving, his eyes darting toward the armed guards stationed by the windows. But to his horror, none of his guards raised their weapons. Tony’s men had already neutralized the perimeter security cameras and locked down the communications relay before they even breached the doors.

"I won't be threatened in my own home by an ungrateful boy," Salvatore hissed, though a flicker of genuine panic danced in the old man's eyes.

"You called me a boy fifteen years ago when you made me pull the trigger on my own brother," Vincent said, stepping closer, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper. "You told me Marco was a traitor. You showed me forged ledgers. You orchestrated a bloody coup to seize total control of the syndicate."

The surrounding bosses and capos murmured anxiously among themselves, glancing back and forth between Salvatore and Vincent.

With trembling, age-spotted fingers, Salvatore reached down and opened the folder. The first page was his own signed directive ordering the assassination of Marco Castellano, backed by the Swiss bank transfer slips proving his embezzlement.

Salvatore’s face turned from purple to ash-white. He swallowed hard, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "These... these are forgeries. Fabricated lies!"

May you like

"Ask Dr. Vance, or better yet..." Vincent turned his head toward the open doors behind him. "Ask the man who survived your hit squad."

The heavy double doors swung open wide once more.

Other posts