Chapter 14 - The Shadow War
While Lena operated downstairs, Marco Lombardi was busy solidifying his empire above ground. The power vacuum left by the collapse of the corrupt federal faction had triggered a scramble among the city's remaining criminal elements.
In a dimly lit boardroom on the fiftieth floor of the Lombardi Tower, three rival capos sat around a polished mahogany table, their faces pale as they looked at the digital dossiers displayed on the wall screens.
Marco sat at the head of the table, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. He hadn't raised his voice once, yet the room felt suffocatingly cold.
"You thought the federal purge meant the Lombardi family was weak," Marco said softly, his dark eyes sweeping over the trembling men. "You thought you could carve up our shipping lanes while we were busy cleaning house."
"Mr. Lombardi, with all due respect—" one capo started, sweating profusely.
"There is no respect left," Marco interrupted, standing up slowly. He tossed a heavy, encrypted flash drive onto the center of the table—a duplicate of the one Lena had decrypted weeks ago. "That drive contains the financial records of every bribe, every kickback, and every illegal weapon shipment your crews have managed over the past five years. If you move against my routes again, I won't send hitmen. I'll send the files directly to Dr. Ortiz."
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The capos stared at the drive as if it were a live grenade. They knew what Dr. Ortiz had done to the Department of Justice. Crossing her wasn't just bad for business; it was suicide.
"We understand, Mr. Lombardi," the eldest capo choked out, nodding rapidly. "The routes are yours. Unchallenged."
