Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Syndicate
While peace settled over the Caruso estate, a storm was brewing in the dark underbelly of Chicago’s outfit.
In a private back room of an upscale steakhouse downtown, three men sat around a table littered with expensive wine glasses and maps of the city's shipping ports.
At the head of the table sat Matteo Moretti—a mid-level capo with greasy slicked-back hair, expensive gold rings, and a desperate, hungry ambition that far outweighed his intelligence. Beside him sat his younger brother, Dominic, a crude street lieutenant who ran the family's illegal gambling and dog-fighting operations in the south docks.
"Vincenzo is getting soft," Matteo sneered, swirling his wine. "Ever since his wife died and the kid went mute, he spends more time buying art and funding speech clinics than running the docks. Half our collectors haven't turned in their monthly tribute because they know Caruso won't come down on them."
"He took a dog from my pit today," Dominic spat bitterly, rubbing a heavy bruise on his jaw. "One of my best earners. Subject Seven. I had twenty grand riding on that beast for next week’s championship fight. Caruso’s men walked into the shelter with a court order signed by the DA and just took him."
Matteo leaned forward, his eyes narrowing in dark contemplation. "He took a fighting dog for the mute girl?"
"Yeah. The kid picked it out herself," Dominic said. "My contact at the shelter said Caruso looked like he was gonna cry when the girl pointed at it."
Matteo leaned back in his chair, a slow, sickening grin spreading across his face.
"A man who loves his broken daughter that much is a man with a target painted on his forehead," Matteo murmured. "The Moretti family has been playing second fiddle to the Carusos for twenty years. If Vincenzo won't step down voluntarily, we make him step down."
"How?" Dominic asked. "His house is a fortress. He's got twenty armed guards on the perimeter twenty-four hours a day."
"A fortress only works if the people inside are paying attention," Matteo sneered. "We know Caruso's supply shipments are coming through Pier 42 on Thursday. We stage a hit on the pier to draw his main security force away from the estate. Once Marco and the heavy shooters leave the house to reinforce the docks..."
Matteo tapped his gold ring against his wine glass with a sharp clink.
May you like
"...we send four of your pit-handlers into the estate. They know how to deal with fighting dogs. They poison the beast, take the girl, and by Friday morning, Vincenzo Caruso will sign over the entire dockyard territory just to get his precious silent child back."
Dominic laughed—a harsh, barking sound. "Subject Seven knows my handlers. They've got the heavy sedatives. It'll be a walk in the park."
