Chapter 4 - The Shadow of the Underboss
The main office of the Cicero depot was a low-slung, concrete structure that smelled of stale tobacco, diesel fuel, and old paper.
Sitting behind a gray steel desk was Dominic Moro, a man whose hair was the color of tarnished silver, his face lined with the deep, brutal history of Chicago’s street wars. He had been Silas Callahan’s right hand for thirty years, a man who survived three separate federal indictments and two assassination attempts by knowing exactly when to speak and when to pull a trigger.
He looked up when the heavy iron door opened, his eyes drifting over Roman’s imposing form before settling on me and Lily, whom I was holding tightly against my chest.
"Roman," Dominic said, his voice like gravel being crushed under a boot. "You didn't mention you were bringing guests to the depot. Especially not a clerk from the billing department and a kid."
Roman didn't take a seat. He walked to the center of the room, his long coat swaying slightly, his shadow completely covering Dominic’s desk. "The clerk has a name, Dominic. It’s Clara. And the kid is Caleb’s daughter."
The silence that followed was different from the one in the boardroom. It was sharp, dangerous, and filled with the immediate scent of gunpowder. Dominic’s hand, which had been resting casually on the desk, twitched slightly toward the top drawer.
"Silvano," Roman said without looking back.
A loud, metallic click echoed through the room as Silvano stepped up behind me, his heavy black pistol drawn and aimed directly at Dominic’s forehead. The two guards standing by the door immediately reached for their waistbands, but Roman’s voice froze them in place.
"If anyone breathes without my permission, this room gets repainted," Roman said, his tone perfectly conversational. He leaned forward, placing both palms flat on Dominic’s desk. "Now, Dominic, let's talk about August of last year. Let's talk about the four million dollars that allegedly disappeared from the transit accounts."
Dominic’s eyes darted from the barrel of Silvano’s gun back to Roman’s face. He let out a dry, rattling laugh. "Your brother was a thief, Roman. He took the money. Your father confirmed it himself before he passed."
"My brother didn't take a single dollar for himself," Roman countered, his voice dropping into that terrifyingly quiet register. "Clara here spent the last seventeen months living in a four-hundred-dollar apartment while Caleb worked sixty hours a week changing oil in Pilsen. He didn't have four million dollars. So I'm going to ask you once, and only once, Dominic. Who authorized the wire transfers that framed my brother?"
Dominic’s jaw tightened, the old scars on his neck turning a dark, angry purple. "You think you're the boss now just because your father’s heart gave out in the spring? You’re young, Roman. You don't know the agreements that keep this city from burning down."
"I am the agreement," Roman said, his fingers digging into the steel edge of the desk until the metal groaned. "And right now, you're ten seconds away from becoming a violation of it."
I pulled Lily’s head into my neck, shielding her from the tension in the room. She was remarkably quiet, her small fingers gripping my collar, her dark eyes staring at Roman with a strange, fearless curiosity that made my heart ache. She looked so much like Caleb it was terrifying.
"It was your father," Dominic finally spat out, his shoulders sagging slightly against the back of his chair. "Silas found out about the girl. He found out Caleb had rented that apartment under a fake name. He told Caleb that if he didn't sign the Moretti contract, the girl would have an accident on her way to the clinic."
A small, choked sound escaped my throat. Caleb hadn't abandoned me because he was scared. He had run to keep the monsters from finding my door.
"Go on," Roman commanded, his face turning an ash-gray color.
"Caleb offered a trade," Dominic continued, looking down at his hands. "He told Silas he would walk away from the family entirely. He would leave the wealth, the name, everything. He offered to use his clearance to move the four million into an offshore account that only Silas could touch, making it look like a theft so the Morettis wouldn't think the family was insulting them by backing out. He promised to disappear forever if Silas swore to leave the girl alone."
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"And my father agreed?" Roman asked.
"Silas agreed," Dominic whispered. "But your father didn't keep promises to people who broke his rules. The moment the money cleared, Silas told me to find where Caleb was hiding. He wanted him erased, Roman. He wanted the proof gone before you took over the chair."
