Chapter 12 - Confession in the Moonlight
Salvatore’s breath hitched, the cold metal of the pistol barrel pressing hard enough to indent his skin. Sweat beaded on the aging mobster’s forehead, tracing a jagged path through the old scars lining his jaw. For all his decades of ruthless violence on the Brooklyn docks, standing face-to-face with Lucas Moretti in the dim moonlight stripped away every shred of his bravado. He realized, with sudden, terrifying clarity, that Victor Romano’s failure had not been a fluke. Lucas wasn't just a businessman playing at being a kingpin; he was a cold-blooded executioner who had finally cast off the heavy chains of mercy.
“Go ahead,” Salvatore choked out, his voice cracking slightly as he forced a defiant smirk. “Pull the trigger, Moretti. Kill me. You think my death stops the board? You think the other families are going to sit back and let you turn this syndicate into a legitimate real estate empire? You’ve gone soft, Lucas. You’re playing house with a housekeeper and a brat who isn't even your blood!”
Lucas’s finger did not tighten on the trigger. Instead, his expression grew even more remote, his eyes narrowing into cold, unreadable slits. He reached out with his left hand, grabbing Salvatore by the throat with iron strength, slamming him backward against the shattered oak doorframe until the older man’s heels left the floor.
“You talk about softness,” Lucas murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying the crushing weight of a falling boulder. “You think keeping innocent people safe in my home is a weakness? You think building a future away from the blood and ash of my father’s empire is a crime?”
Salvatore gasped for air, his hands clawing uselessly at Lucas’s thick wrist. “The... the old captains... they won't accept a boss who plays father to a stray...”
“The old captains are dead, in federal prison, or kneeling at my feet swearing absolute fealty,” Lucas interrupted smoothly. “And you? You made a fatal miscalculation. You thought you could use a six-year-old girl as leverage against me.” Lucas tilted his head, his gaze boring into Salvatore’s soul. “Tell me who else is backing you on the board. Give me every name, every offshore account, and every warehouse currently plotting against my estate. Do it now, and I might let you draw breath long enough to stand trial in the Brooklyn federal penitentiary. Refuse, and your body feeds the fish in the Hudson before midnight.”
Salvatore’s eyes darted frantically toward the broken balcony doors, calculating impossible odds. But there was no escape. The courtyard below was already swarming with loyal Moretti guards who had locked down the entire perimeter within seconds of the breach. Defeat settled over the aging traitor like a lead shroud. With a ragged, shuddering breath, Salvatore let his arms drop to his sides, his defiance evaporating into bitter ash.
“It’s... it’s Marcus Vance,” Salvatore wheezed, coughing as Lucas slightly eased his grip on his throat. “Your... your chief accountant. He’s been funneling syndicate funds to the Sicilian factions behind your back. He wants the docks back, Lucas. He wants the old ways.”
Lucas’s eyes flickered with a sudden, dangerous flash of realization. Marcus Vance—the loyal veteran who had brought him the ledgers three weeks ago, the man who had stood by his desk pledging support. It was a masterpiece of deception. A double betrayal so deeply nested that even Lucas’s exhaustive purge had missed it.
“Marcus,” Lucas repeated softly, a terrifyingly calm smile touching his lips. “My trusted accountant. How poetic.”
Without another word, Lucas drove the butt of his pistol hard into the side of Salvatore’s temple. The mobster’s eyes rolled back instantly, and he collapsed in a limp heap on the blood-stained carpet. Lucas stepped over the unconscious traitor, pulling a secure satellite phone from his tactical vest.
May you like
“Marcus,” Lucas commanded into the encrypted line as he strode down the grand hallway toward the main staircase. “Report to my study immediately. We need to audit the books.”
***TITLE: The Shadow of the Moretti Throne***
