Chapter 7 - THE COUNCIL OF DONS
Two days had passed since the attack in the Catskills. The blizzard had covered their tracks, allowing Luca, Elena, Noah, and Marco to reach a secure, undisclosed penthouse in Manhattan owned by a shell corporation. Luca hadn't slept. His eyes were red-rimmed, his suit rumpled, but his mind was razor-sharp.
He could not keep running. If he played defense, Alberto would hunt them to the ends of the earth. It was time to cut the head off the snake.
"I have called a gathering of the Commission," Luca announced to Marco as they stood over a map of the city. "Tonight. At the abandoned theater in Brooklyn."
Marco looked stunned. "Luca, going to the Commission now is suicide. Alberto has been whispering in their ears for forty-eight hours. They think you are weak. They think you are hiding."
"Which is why I will walk through the front doors," Luca replied, loading a fresh magazine into his sidearm. "I have something Alberto doesn't. I have the bookie."
Marco grinned, a dangerous, feral smile. During the chaos of the last two days, Marco's men had successfully kidnapped Silvio's underground bookie, a sniveling man named Frankie 'Numbers' Vane. Under intense interrogation, Frankie had handed over a decrypted ledger and audio recordings. Silvio loved to brag when he was drunk, and he had bragged extensively about how Don Alberto had ordered him to threaten a pregnant woman six years ago to secure Luca's loyalty.
"The audio is clear," Marco confirmed. "Silvio explicitly names Alberto. It proves Alberto violated the most sacred rule of the families: You do not harm a made man's bloodline. You do not threaten innocent children."
In the adjoining room, Elena was watching Noah play with a set of wooden blocks Marco had procured. Luca walked in, the heavy aura of violence fading slightly as he looked at them. He sat beside Elena on the sofa.
"I have to go out tonight," he said softly. "To finish this."
Elena looked at him, her eyes tracing the exhaustion lines on his face. "Will you come back to us?"
"I swear it on my life," Luca promised. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver Saint Christopher pendant. He gently fastened it around Noah's neck. "Keep this safe for me, buddy. It protects travelers. And I have a bit of traveling to do tonight."
Noah looked up, his storm-cloud eyes serious. "Come back, Dad."
May you like
The word hit Luca like a physical blow. Dad. It was the first time Noah had used it. Tears pricked Luca's eyes, but he blinked them back, nodding slowly. "I will. I promise."
He kissed Elena deeply, pouring all his unspoken love, apologies, and promises into the embrace. When he pulled away, he walked out the door, ready to face the devil himself.
