Chapter 7 - The Underground Echoes
Though Nico Falcone was rotting in a maximum-security black-site prison beneath Lake Michigan, the ripples of his treason still echoed through the darker corners of the East Coast syndicates. Word had leaked out that the untouchable Dominic Moretti had adopted the orphaned children of a murdered cleaning woman—a sign of weakness, according to the dying remnants of rival factions who believed the Don was losing his edge.
A coalition of desperate, displaced mobsters from the Detroit syndicate decided to test the waters. They believed that by striking at the periphery of Dominic’s new domestic life, they could force him into a tactical retreat.
It was a fatal miscalculation.
Marco burst into Dominic’s private study late one evening while Nora and Ella were asleep in the east wing.
"Boss," Marco reported, his face grim. "The Detroit crew intercepted one of our secondary supply trucks near the New Jersey turnight. They left a warning carved into the driver's seat."
Dominic didn't look up from the book he was reading to Nora earlier that evening. "What kind of warning?"
"They know about the girls, Dominic. They think your soft spot is your Achilles' heel. They sent a message saying they’re coming for the penthouse next."
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The temperature in the study plummeted. Dominic slowly closed the book, stood up, and adjusted the cuffs of his dark shirt.
"They think I’m soft because I learned how to feed the hungry," Dominic said softly, his eyes flashing with lethal dark fire. "Let's remind them why they used to check under their beds for my shadow."
