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The pressurized air of the cabin suddenly felt thick, heavy, and suffocating. My lungs burned as I fought the urge to grab Julie by her linen collar and force the rest of the truth out of her right there at thirty thousand feet. / Chapter 15 / 20

Chapter 15 - The Ghost of the Family"Hello, nephew," Salvatore’s voice echoed through the loft’s high-end sound system, raspy, cold, and dripping with venomous amusement.

My grip on my pistol tightened until my knuckles turned translucent. "Salvatore. The entire underworld thinks you burned to ashes a decade ago."

"A convenient fiction, Dante," the old man chuckled, taking a slow sip of espresso on the screen. "Just like your little retirement plan in Brooklyn. Did you really think you could dismantle the most powerful syndicate in the Western Hemisphere and walk away to play domestic bliss with a brand designer and a bastard child?"

Naomi gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes darting toward the stairs where Lily was safely waiting downstairs with David.

"Leave her out of this," I growled, stepping closer to the projection as if I could physically choke the man through the glass screen. "This is between you and me. You want the crown? Come to Manhattan and take it yourself instead of hiding behind screens and dead drops."

Salvatore smiled, a cruel, predatory expression that mirrored my own darkest traits. "Oh, I am coming, Dante. But I don't want the crown anymore. I want the heir. A child with Moretti blood, untainted by the syndicate's sins, trained from birth to serve the true family. That little girl in your car... she belongs to us now."

"Over my dead body," I hissed.

"That can easily be arranged," Salvatore replied smoothly. "You have twenty-four hours to report to our shipping docks in Red Hook alone, without your guards, without your weapons. If you fail to appear, my men will collect your daughter personally."

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The heavy oak door of the master suite swung wider, letting out a sharp draft of chilled air that smelled faintly of expensive bourbon and cold rain. Lorenzo Moretti did not blink.

The heavy oak door of the master suite swung wider, letting out a sharp...

The rain in the lower district did not fall; it drifted like smoke, slicking the asphalt and carrying the smell of coal smoke and rotting citrus from the wholesale market two blocks down.

The rain in the lower district did not fall; it drifted like smoke, slic...

The word mother hung in the sterile terminal air like a frozen dagger.

The word mother hung in the sterile terminal air like a frozen dagger.

Click.

The screen went black, plunging the loft back into silence.

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Chapter 16 - The War CouncilThirty minutes later, the loft was transformed into a command center.

Chapter 17 - Red Hook Docks at MidnightThe salt air of the Brooklyn waterfront was biting, carrying the heavy scent of diesel fuel, rotting seaweed, and rust.

Chapter 18 - The Ambush in the DarkBefore Salvatore's arm could finish its downward gesture, a deafening explosion shattered the corrugated steel roof of warehouse four.

Chapter 19 - The Final Verdict"It's over, Salvatore," I whispered, my voice echoing off the cavernous metal walls. "Your era ended ten years ago. You just refused to accept the burial."

Chapter 20 - Sunrise Over ManhattanThe sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the Manhattan skyline in brilliant shades of amber, gold, and rose.

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