Chapter 7 - Shadows in the North Side
By nightfall, the war room in the Onyx Room shifted from defense to absolute offense.
Salvatore Morello was cornered, but a cornered animal was often at its most dangerous. Intelligence gathered from Elias’s network confirmed that Morello was planning a desperate, last-ditch assault on one of Gabriel’s primary maritime warehouses near the Calumet River before federal warrants could be executed.
"He’s gathering every remaining loyal soldier he has," Elias briefed, standing before a large tactical map displayed on the digital whiteboard. "Roughly forty men. Heavy automatic weapons. They're planning a scorched-earth raid to destroy our manifest logs and pin the violence on our syndicate before the feds arrive at dawn."
Gabriel stood near the back of the room, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves. He reached for his holster resting on the side table, checking the weight and chamber of his Sig Sauer with practiced, methodical precision.
A soft rustling fabric made him pause.
He turned around. Vivian stood in the doorway of the war room. She had changed out of her torn emerald evening dress into a sleek, dark-blue blazer and tailored trousers. Despite the pale exhaustion still lingering in her eyes, she stood tall, her shoulders squared.
"You're not going anywhere in that condition," Gabriel stated flatly, walking toward her.
"My fiancé tried to have me killed, my family's legacy was hijacked by a criminal syndicate, and you think I'm going to sit up in a penthouse sipping chamomile tea while you wage war?" Vivian shot back, her voice ringing with an unyielding steel that caught Elias completely off guard.
Gabriel stared at her for a long second, then let out a low, breathy sigh. "This isn't a board meeting, Vivian. It’s a firefight."
"I know what it is," she said, stepping closer to him. The faint bruise on her cheek only added to her fierce, undeniable presence. "Morello used my company’s name to launder his blood money. My signature was forged on documents that enabled this entire nightmare. I have a right to see the end of it."
Gabriel searched her eyes. He saw no fear there—only a cold, burning resolve that mirrored his own.
May you like
He gave a slow, measured nod. "Elias. Give her a Kevlar vest and put her in the secure command vehicle. If she stays within thirty yards of me, she stays."
Elias raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. "Understood, boss."
