Chapter 5 - The Trap is Set
Thirty minutes later, the air in the underground holding cell was thick with the smell of damp concrete and absolute terror.
Nolan hung from the steel chains, his arms screaming with pain, his clothes drenched in sweat. When the heavy iron door creaked open, he flinched, squinting against the harsh light as heavy, measured footsteps approached.
Gideon walked into the cell, followed by Pierce, who was carrying a heavy laptop and a satellite uplink dish.
"Gideon... please..." Nolan sobbed, his voice cracking miserably. "I'll give you everything. My bank accounts, my offshore properties, my share of the docks—just cut me down!"
Gideon stopped inches away from his brother. He didn't look angry anymore; his expression was completely blank, terrifyingly calm.
"You want your freedom, Nolan?" Gideon asked softly.
Nolan’s head snapped up, hope flaring in his bloodshot eyes. "Yes! Yes, anything! Tell me what to do!"
"You're going to make a phone call," Gideon said, gesturing to Pierce, who set the laptop down on a steel crate and punched a series of rapid commands into the keyboard. "You are going to call Viktor Moretti and the Council enforcers holding your co-conspirators."
Nolan’s face drained of what little color remained. "Viktor? But... but Viktor will kill me if he finds out I talked!"
"Viktor is going to think you successfully executed your backup plan," Gideon replied smoothly, pulling a suppressed pistol from his holster and casually checking the magazine. "You are going to tell them that you have secured the master ledger codes from the Ironwood vault, and that you are ready to trade them for full control of the Chicago docks and safe passage out of the country."
"And if they ask to meet?" Nolan stammered, shaking violently.
"You tell them to meet you at the old shipping yards on Pier 41," Gideon said, a dark, dangerous smile touching the corners of his lips. "At midnight."
Pierce spun the laptop around so the webcam was facing Nolan. "Dial, Nolan. And if your voice shakes even a little bit, I won't let Gideon kill you. I’ll leave you down here for the rats."
With trembling, bloodied fingers, Nolan punched the encrypted digits into the interface.
The call rang twice before a raspy, gravelly voice answered on the other end.
“Speak.”
Nolan swallowed hard, glancing up at Gideon’s cold, unblinking stare. "Viktor... it's me. I have the ledger codes. But the deal has changed. I want out of Chicago, and I want the south-side shipping lanes."
A heavy silence hung over the line. Then, Viktor Moretti’s cold laugh echoed through the speakers.
“You think you have leverage, boy? Your brother is hunting you down as we speak.”
"Gideon is distracted," Nolan lied smoothly, reading the cue cards Pierce held up beside the webcam. "He’s dealing with a family emergency at the mansion. If you want the ledger and the keys to Ironwood, meet me at Pier 41 tonight at midnight. Just you, me, and the girl as insurance."
“The girl?” Viktor paused. “Ah, you mean the wife’s brat. Very well, Nolan. Bring the codes to Pier 41, and we’ll talk about your new life. Bring anyone else, and the mother dies first.”
CLICK.
The line went dead.
Gideon holstered his weapon, turning away from his brother with a wave of his hand.
"Cut him down," Gideon ordered Pierce.
May you like
Nolan collapsed onto the concrete floor, gasping for air. "You... you promised me my freedom if I made the call!"
"I promised you wouldn't die in this cell," Gideon said without looking back as he walked out of the heavy iron door. "Instead, you're going to help us clean out the trash."
