Chapter 7 - The Final Ledger"No—wait—" Bianchi stammered, raising his hands as Alessandro grabbed him by the lapels of his expensive silk suit and hoisted him off the ground with one hand.
"You shouldn't have touched the apartment in Astoria, Salvatore," Alessandro whispered, his voice dangerously quiet.
"I—I didn't know it was yours—"
"You didn't know," Alessandro interrupted, "because you're a small man playing a game you don't understand. Elena Alvarez was a good woman. And the little girl in the yellow dress? She is under my protection."
With a swift, brutal motion, Alessandro threw Bianchi against the rusted iron wall. The older mob boss slid down into a heap, gasping for air, his nose broken and bleeding.
Marco stepped up, kicking a pistol away from Bianchi’s limp hand, and flipped open his notepad. "The harbor police and the councilmen who took bribes have all been rounded up, Boss. Their assets are frozen. The Moretti family holds 100% of the shipping lanes by dawn."
Alessandro adjusted his cuffs, his face as cold and unreadable as marble. He looked down at Bianchi one last time.
"Tell the council," Alessandro said, turning his back on his rival, "that if anyone ever steps foot in Astoria again, they won't even find a body to bury."
As they walked back out to the SUV, the first pale streaks of dawn began to paint the New York skyline in shades of bruised purple and gold.
Marco opened the car door, hesitation flickering across his hardened face. "Boss... what happens now? With Maria and the child? You can't keep them at the estate forever."
May you like
Alessandro paused, looking out over the dark, sprawling river.
"Who said anything about keeping them?" Alessandro muttered.
