Chapter 15 - The Threat from the ShadowsWhile my days were filled with preschool tea parties and physical therapy sessions, the underworld of Texas was shifting.
With the Alvarez syndicate shattered and Rebecca rotting in a maximum-security cell, a power vacuum had formed in the Southwest. Smaller gangs and opportunistic criminals tried to test the borders of Austin, assuming my focus on parenting had made me soft.
They were about to learn a very expensive lesson.
It was 11:30 PM. I was sitting in my private study reviewing financial reports when my secure burner phone buzzed violently.
It was a text from Marcus: Perimeter sensor tripped at the East Austin safehouse. Three unknowns trying to plant a package.
I didn't panic. I calmly closed my laptop, stood up, and slipped a custom SIG Sauer P226 into the holster beneath my jacket.
“Marcus,” I said into the encrypted comms as I walked toward the private elevator. “Don't kill them yet. I want to ask them who invited them to my city.”
Within twenty minutes, my Escalade slid silently into the gravel lot behind the East Austin safehouse. Two of my guards stood over three trembling men kneeling in the dirt, their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
I stepped out of the vehicle, the crisp night air stinging my lungs. I walked slowly toward the center of the group, my leather shoes crunching on the gravel.
“Who sent you?” I asked, my voice dangerously calm.
One of the men—a greasy-looking enforcer with a cheap tattoo on his neck—spat on the ground. “Fuck you, Moretti! You think you rule Austin just because you took out the Alvarezes? The Syndicate out of Dallas is moving in, and—”
Before he could finish the sentence, I drew my pistol, aimed down, and fired a single round directly into the gravel six inches from his boot.
The loud crack of the gunshot echoed through the silent warehouse district. The man shrieked, falling backward onto his side.
“Let’s try this again,” I said, stepping closer and resting the barrel of my gun against his forehead. “Who sent you, and how much did they pay you to die tonight?”
The enforcer’s face drained of all color, sweat pouring down his temples. “S-Salazar! Carlos Salazar from Dallas! He said you were distracted by kids! He said you went soft!”
I stared at him for a long, freezing moment. Then, I lowered the gun and holstered it.
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“Tell Carlos Salazar something for me,” I whispered, leaning in close. “Tell him Thomas Moretti sends his regards. And tell him that if any of his men cross the county line again, I won't just burn his warehouses... I’ll burn his entire estate to ash.”
I turned around, walking back to my Escalade without looking back. “Marcus. Clear them out of my city by sunrise.”
