Chapter 5 - Blood on the Marble
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Marcus’s finger tightened on the trigger, but Elias moved with the terrifying speed of a man who had survived a dozen assassination attempts.
As the bullet whined past his ear, shattering the glass frame of an antique painting behind him, Elias closed the distance between them in a single, explosive bound. He slammed his forearm against Marcus's wrist, sending the silenced pistol clattering across the marble floor.
Marcus grunted, throwing a vicious right hook that caught Elias square in the jaw. Elias didn't even flinch. He grabbed Marcus by the collar of his suit jacket and slammed him backward against the reinforced mahogany wall, the impact rattling the entire hallway.
"You were my brother," Elias snarled, his voice vibrating with suppressed fury.
"Power doesn't have brothers, Elias," Marcus choked out, a thin line of blood trickling down his chin. "The syndicate... they own half the port authority. If I die, a dozen more will step into my shoes before sunrise."
"Let them try," Elias hissed.
Before Marcus could reach for his backup knife, Elias delivered a devastating blow to his temple, sending the traitor collapsing unconscious onto the floor. Elias stood over him, chest heaving, his knuckles bruised and stained with blood.
The private elevator chimed again.
Elias spun around, weapon raised, expecting a squad of syndicate enforcers. Instead, the doors parted to reveal Bernadette, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker, flanked by two loyal veteran guards from the outer perimeter whom she had quietly summoned via a secure encrypted line.
"We saw the security alert in the basement armory, Mr. Falcone," Bernadette said, eyeing the unconscious traitor on the floor without a trace of fear. "Looks like trash day came a little early."
"Clean this up," Elias ordered, his voice returning to its icy, commanding register. "Lock him in the lower holding cells. I want every single associate of his in Grayport rounded up by dawn."
"And Mrs. Falcone?" Bernadette asked gently.
May you like
Elias paused, looking down the corridor toward the master suite where Adeline and their newborn daughter were waiting. The cold, unyielding mafia boss felt a strange, unfamiliar warmth settle into his chest.
"She stays right here," Elias said softly. "Where she belongs."
