Chapter 4 - Unearthing the Traitor
The cigar smoke in the back room of the Russo-owned social club was thick enough to choke a lesser man. Vincent sat at the head of the table, laughing with three of the family’s top capos.
When Dominic walked in, the laughter died.
The air in the room instantly dropped ten degrees. Dominic didn't take off his coat. He walked to the head of the table, his eyes locked on Vincent.
"You're late," Vincent said, though his tone was jovial. "We were just discussing the shipping routes for the new year."
"The shipping routes are cancelled," Dominic said, leaning his hands on the table.
Vincent frowned. "Excuse me?"
"I’ve spent the last four hours auditing our offshore accounts," Dominic said, his voice deadly calm. He signaled to his personal bodyguard, a mountain of a man named Marco, who had been loyal to Dominic’s father before him. Marco stepped forward and threw a stack of documents onto the center of the table.
The capos leaned in, their eyes widening as they recognized the financial transfers.
"Vincent has been skimming from the family for over eight years," Dominic announced, his voice echoing off the brick walls. "To the tune of forty-two million dollars. And he framed my ex-wife to cover his tracks."
Vincent’s face went white, then quickly flushed with an ugly, dark rage. He scraped his chair back as he stood up. "This is absurd! A fabrication! You're letting your obsession with that girl ruin your mind, Dominic! She’s gotten into your head—"
"She didn't get into my head, Vincent. You got careless." Dominic stepped closer, the sheer physical aura of his anger forcing the older man back. "I found the original ledgers. I found the signatures. And I found the threats you made against my pregnant wife."
The room went dead silent. The capos looked at each other. In their world, business was business, but threatening a boss's unborn child—a Russo bloodline—was an unforgivable transgression.
"You're making a mistake," Vincent hissed, his hand reaching slowly toward his waistband.
Before his fingers could even touch the leather of his holster, Marco had a barrel pressed against the back of Vincent's neck.
"Drop it," Marco growled.
Vincent slowly raised his hands, his eyes spitting venom at Dominic. "You think you can run this city without me? I built this empire! Your father was soft, and you're just as soft as he was!"
"My father was a man of honor," Dominic said, his voice dropping to a whisper that promised death. "You are a parasite. Take him to the warehouse. Keep him alive. I will deal with him when this snow stops."
As Marco and two guards dragged a cursing, thrashing Vincent out of the room, Dominic turned to the remaining capos.
May you like
"The Russo family is changing," Dominic told them, his eyes scanning each of their faces. "Anyone who has a problem with that can leave this room right now. But if you stay, you swear your loyalty to me, and to the family I am going to bring home."
One by one, the capos bowed their heads.
