Chapter 6 - The Trap Collapses
With Nora and Lily secured in a secondary, underground military bunker in Milwaukee guarded by fifty trusted men, Julian returned to Chicago to finish the war.
He didn't go back to his mansion. He went directly to the abandoned industrial docks along the Calumet River—the primary staging ground for Carmine Moretti’s illegal smuggling operations.
It was 3:00 AM. A freezing rain was falling, turning the gravel yards into slippery, icy mud.
Julian sat in the back of a van, watching satellite feeds provided by Judge Vale’s federal task force. The federal government was playing ball. They had granted Julian complete operational freedom for six hours in exchange for the evidence that would dismantle the Moretti syndicate forever.
"Moretti is inside the main warehouse," Marcus reported, racking the bolt of his assault rifle. "He’s got twenty guys left. They know we're coming, Julian. It's a kill zone."
"Good," Julian said, his voice flat and lethal. "Let's give them what they're waiting for."
Julian didn't assault the warehouse with superior firepower. He used the one thing Carmine Moretti didn't expect: Thomas Bell.
Ten minutes later, a single black sedan pulled into the illuminated courtyard outside the warehouse. The driver’s door opened, and Thomas Bell was shoved out into the freezing rain, his hands zip-tied in front of him.
Carmine Moretti appeared on the second-floor balcony inside the warehouse, looking through the high reinforced windows.
"Carmine!" Thomas shouted into the wind, his voice hoarse. "Julian knows! He's coming with the feds! He's going to tear this place down!"
Carmine’s paranoia snapped. Believing Thomas had compromised his location, Carmine gestured to his sniper on the roof. "Kill him! Kill the old fool!"
Crack!
A sniper bullet struck the pavement inches from Thomas’s feet. But before a second shot could be fired, the entire perimeter of the warehouse exploded into light!
Massive federal floodlights illuminated the darkness, blaring sirens echoing across the river. Federal tactical vehicles crashed through the chain-link fences, surrounding the warehouse from all sides.
"Carmine Moretti!" Judge Vale’s voice boomed over a loudspeaker from an armored vehicle. "This is the FBI! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and step outside with your hands up!"
Inside the warehouse, panic erupted. Moretti’s men began firing wildly out the windows, engaging the federal agents in a brutal firefight.
While the feds drew the main force's attention, Julian and Marcus entered through the sub-level shipping tunnels beneath the river.
Julian moved through the dark tunnels like a shadow, taking down Moretti guards one by one with silent, lethal precision. He wasn't fighting for territory, or money, or pride. He was clearing a path to ensure his daughter would never have to look over her shoulder again.
He reached the upper office suite just as Carmine Moretti was stuffing bags of cash and offshore hard drives into a leather duffel bag.
"Going somewhere, Carmine?" Julian’s voice rang out from the doorway.
Carmine spun around, pulling a snub-nosed revolver from his coat, but Julian was faster.
BANG!
A single shot hit Carmine’s wrist, shattering the bone and sending the revolver flying across the room. Carmine screamed in agony, falling back against his desk, clutching his bleeding arm.
Julian walked into the office, his gun pointed straight at Carmine’s forehead.
"Julian... wait!" Carmine gasped, sweat pouring down his face, his eyes wide with pathetic terror. "We can make a deal! Half my assets... the docks... everything! Just let me walk!"
"Four years ago," Julian said, his voice terrifyingly calm, "your men tried to ambush my vehicle, driving Claire Arden out of this city in terror. Two days ago, you tried to murder my daughter."
"She’s just a kid!" Carmine sobbed. "I didn't know!"
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"I know," Julian whispered, his finger tightening on the trigger. "And that's why you don't get to live in my world anymore."
BANG.
