Chapter 7 - SINS OF THE SYNDICATE
By mid-afternoon, the helicopter had touched down on the private helipad of Declan’s fortified estate in upstate New York. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Hudson Valley, the stone manor was surrounded by ten-foot wrought-iron fences, laser sensors, and a perimeter patrolled by twenty heavily armed guards loyal only to the Mercer bloodline.
Inside the great library, Evan sat engrossed in a massive leather armchair, playing a flight simulator video game on a state-of-the-art console provided by Declan’s staff, completely oblivious to the war raging in the adult world.
Across the hall in Declan’s private study, Marin stood by the grand fireplace, clutching a porcelain mug of herbal tea.
"How long do you expect us to live like prisoners in a fortress?" Marin demanded, turning to Declan as he closed the double mahogany doors.
"Only until tomorrow night," Declan answered, loosening his tie and pouring two fingers of bourbon into a glass. "Don Sal Rossi has holed up at his private shipping dock at Devil's Reef near Long Island Sound. He knows his hit squad failed in Maine. He knows I have you and Evan."
"Then he'll send more men!"
"No," Declan said, his eyes darkening. "He won't have the chance. I've called a mandatory meeting of the Commission. Under mafia law, attacking a boss's child is an unforgivable treason. I'm going to strip Rossi of his territory, his assets, and his life."
Marin felt a shiver trace down her spine. "You talk about killing as if you're signing a contract."
Declan set his glass down with a heavy clink and walked toward her. He stopped inches away, looking down at her weary face. "When I was twenty, my father was murdered in front of me by rival bosses. I took over the family because the only alternative was dying in the gutter beside him. For twenty years, I built an empire so massive that nobody could ever touch me again. But it cost me everything that mattered. It cost me you."
He reached out, his fingers tracing the soft line of her cheek. Marin didn't pull away this time; the exhaustion and lingering love she had tried to bury for eight years overwhelmed her defenses.
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"When I held Evan in that resort lobby," Declan whispered, his voice trembling slightly, "I felt my heart beat for the first time in nine years. I don't want the empire anymore, Marin. I want to build a life with you and our son. But I have to finish this war so he never has to fight one."
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