Chapter 4 - A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Elara slid into the velvet chair Isabella had just vacated. The warmth of the cushion was a stark reminder of how quickly power shifted in Dominic Salvatore’s world.
"You blew a six-month cover just to expose a domestic dispute?" Dominic poured himself a glass of Barolo, the dark red liquid catching the chandelier's light. "That’s sloppy for a fed."
"It’s not a domestic dispute," Elara corrected, accepting the glass he pushed toward her. "It’s a corporate merger in the underworld. The Morettis are using Isabella’s stolen cash to buy out the dock workers' union tomorrow night. If they control the docks, they control your supply chain. You lose the city in a month."
Dominic took a slow sip of his wine. He was evaluating her. Not just her intelligence, but her nerve. Most people couldn't breathe in his presence, let alone match his cadence.
"And you’re telling me this because...?"
"Because the Bureau operates in red tape. By the time they get a wiretap approved, the docks belong to the Morettis, and my city turns into a warzone. I don’t want a war. I want surgical removal."
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"You want me to wipe them out," Dominic translated, a slow, dangerous smile touching the corners of his mouth. "A federal agent asking a crime boss to do her dirty work."
"I’m asking the apex predator to protect his territory," Elara countered, leaning in. "I have the coordinates of their meeting tomorrow. I have the security codes. I have the blind spots in their camera feeds. I give you the keys to the castle, and you burn it down."
