Chapter 6 - The Unraveling Thread
By 3:00 AM, the rain had reduced to a steady, rhythmic drizzle. The grand foyer of the Russo estate was bathed in harsh white light as heavy iron gates at the edge of the property opened to admit three black SUVs.
Dominic stood at the top of the grand double staircase, overlooking the main hall. Sal Caruso, his senior captain from the Brooklyn docks, walked up the stairs, shaking the rain from his dark wool overcoat.
"We swept Isabella’s suite, boss," Sal reported in a low, gravelly voice. "The doctor wasn't lying. We found the three extra vials, plus a encrypted satellite phone linked directly to Marco Moretti’s private residence in Miami."
"Did you trace the transactions?" Dominic asked, his face carved from granite.
"Yeah," Sal nodded grimly. "She’s been leaking our shipping routes for fourteen months. The ambush in Atlantic City last winter? That was her. She was feeding them our schedules so Moretti could take over the casino terminals once you were out of the picture."
Dominic let out a slow, deliberate breath through his nose. "And the nanny?"
"Norah spilled everything the second Anton put her in the back of the car," Sal said with a cold smirk. "Isabella paid her five grand a month just to keep her mouth shut about the visitors coming through the service entrance after hours. The kid’s teddy bear was just the safest place Isabella could think of to stash the secondary dose while the doctor was performing the 'routine checkup.'"
"They thought because Lily was four, she was invisible," Dominic said, a sharp, bitter edge in his voice. "They forgot that children notice everything adults try to hide."
Sal glanced up toward the east wing corridors. "What do you want us to do with Isabella and the doctor?"
"The doctor gave us the Moretti network," Dominic commanded coldly. "Put him on a plane to Europe. He lives the rest of his life in exile, and if he ever steps foot on American soil again, finish him. As for Isabella..."
May you like
Dominic paused, his dark eyes narrowing as he remembered the way Isabella had patted Lily's head earlier that evening, treating the maid’s child like an inconvenient insect.
"...let her father come pick her up," Dominic continued softly. "And tell Senior Vance that if his family isn't out of New York by sunset tomorrow, the entire Vance territory belongs to the Russos."
