Chapter 13 - The Alliance of ShadowsDonato didn't stay. He retreated through the broken gates like a whipped dog, leaving behind a warning that the Commission would not forget the insult.
That evening, the manor was quiet again, but the energy was different. It wasn't the silence of fear; it was the silence of an army preparing for a siege.
In the study, Henry Brandt laid out a series of encrypted files across the mahogany desk.
"Donato won't attack directly," Henry warned, adjusting his glasses. "He’ll use financial strangulation. The Rinaldi shipping ports in New Jersey are tied up in corporate compliance. If we don't clear them by Friday, our liquid assets will freeze."
Dante stared at the documents, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "The federal authorities have a hold on the shipping logs. We can't bribe our way through this one without triggering an FBI audit."
Claire, who was sitting on the edge of the desk nursing a cup of black coffee, leaned over and looked at the manifest.
"You're trying to use mafia channels to fix a corporate problem," Claire pointed out, tapping the paper with her fingernail. "That’s your first mistake."
Dante looked up at her, intrigued. "What’s your solution, Ms. Beaumont?"
"My solution?" Claire smirked. "Years ago, before DeMarco’s Grill, I worked as an investigative researcher for a financial weekly in Boston. I know how corporate loopholes work better than any mob lawyer."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "You were a financial journalist?"
"Until the paper went under," Claire shrugged. "Turns out investigative reporting doesn't pay the rent. But the skills don't leave you. Give me access to Donato’s corporate shell companies, and I'll show you how to bleed a syndicate using a spreadsheet instead of a gun."
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Dante stared at her for a long moment, a slow, mesmerizing smile spreading across his face.
"My God, Claire," Dante murmured, his voice thick with a mixture of awe and fierce desire. "You really are a weapon of mass destruction."
