Chapter 7 - Decryption and DestructionDown in the estate’s tech room, the green glow of multiple monitors illuminated Tommy Keen’s face as the micro-SD card’s contents finished downloading. Rows of encrypted files, offshore bank accounts, and encrypted chat logs scrolled across the screens.
"Boss, you need to see this," Tommy said, pointing to a highlighted folder labeled Project Ironclad.
Alio stepped behind him, watching the data stream. "What am I looking at?"
"It’s not just Rossi’s financial records," Tommy explained, tapping keys on the mechanical keyboard. "It’s a blueprint. Rossi isn't just rebuilding his old crew—he’s partnered with a rogue faction inside the federal Marshals office. They’ve been feeding him target locations for every major transport route we control across the Midwest."
Luca Moretti slammed his fist onto the metal desk, rattling the equipment. "The federal raids last month! That’s how they knew where our cargo ships were docking in Indiana!"
"Exactly," Alio said, his eyes narrowing into cold, calculating slits. "Rossi didn't just want to take over our territory. He wanted to hand our entire operation over to the feds on a silver platter while he walked away clean."
"So what’s our play?" Sal asked, his hand resting near his holster. "Do we hit his warehouse in Cicero? Burn his operations to the ground?"
"No," Alio said, a chilling smile touching the corners of his mouth. "If we hit him now, he goes underground again like a rat. We don't hunt him in the shadows. We invite him out into the light."
"How?" Tommy asked.
"We use his own tracker against him," Alio replied, walking over to the main terminal. "Plant a signal on a dummy shipment leaving for the docks tonight. Let Rossi think we're moving our entire cash reserve out of the city. When he comes out to intercept it... we close the trap."
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And what about the dog, boss?" Tommy asked cautiously.
Alio looked back toward the hallway leading to the upper levels. "The dog stays right here. He’s done his part. Now, it’s our turn."
