Chapter 4 - The Politician's Betrayal
Councilman Arthur Davis let out a choked, hysterical sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. He shrunk back into the leather upholstery of the chair as if he were trying to melt right through the leather and disappear into the wall.
"I didn't know! I swear to God, Vince, I didn't know they were going to use a bomb!" Davis shrieked, his hands clawing desperately at the arms of the chair. "They just said they wanted to send a message! They said it would just be a controlled scare, a warning to get you to back off the waterfront development contract!"
Valente walked slowly toward the councilman, his footsteps making a soft, rhythmic tap against the carpeted floor. He didn't raise his voice; his tone was terrifyingly calm, almost conversational.
"A warning, Arthur?" Valente asked, stopping two feet away from the trembling politician. "With ten pounds of military-grade plastic explosives placed directly under my seat in a crowded public restaurant? You didn't want to send a message. You wanted me erased, along with every loose end connected to the city council bribes."
"The feds were closing in!" Davis sobbed openly now, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks, ruining his expensive silk tie. "They had my bank records, Vince! They had the offshore accounts! If you went down, you were going to cut a deal and take me with you! What choice did I have? They approached me... the syndicate from the East River. They said if I set up the dinner meeting here tonight, at your favorite corner booth, all my problems would disappear!"
Ruby stood frozen near the door, her hand still clutching the dirty steak knife inside her apron pocket. Her mind raced. The East River syndicate. Tommy the fake busboy. A coordinated assassination attempt orchestrated by a desperate, corrupt politician working with a rival criminal faction.
And she was standing right in the middle of a crossfire.
Valente looked down at Davis with an expression of profound, chilling disappointment—the kind of look a disappointed father might give a stray dog before putting it down.
"Arthur," Valente said softly, reaching inside his tailored jacket. "You always were a weak man. Men with weak spines have no business playing games with heavy iron."
Before Davis could scream, Valente's bodyguard stepped forward, grabbing the councilman by the collar of his suit jacket and yanking him out of the chair. But before a weapon could be drawn, a sharp, piercing electronic ringtone cut through the quiet tension of the office.
Brrrring. Brrrring.
Everyone froze.
May you like
The sound was coming from inside Arthur Davis's breast pocket.
Davis stared wide-eyed at his own chest, his breath catching in his throat. "It's... it's them," he whispered, paralyzed with absolute dread. "That's the detonation call."
