Chapter 5 - The Cicero Ambush
The next evening, the rain had turned into a thick, blinding fog that rolled off Lake Michigan, swallowing the industrial warehouses of the Cicero district. Inside the Castellano mansion, the transplant had reached its critical phase. Leo and Mia were running high fevers—a normal but terrifying response as Marlene’s cells began the violent process of replacing their broken bone marrow.
Marlene sat in the nursery, holding little Mia’s hand, while Roland sat across from her, holding Leo’s. For twelve hours, they hadn't moved. The billionaire mafia boss and the five-dollar-an-hour maid were connected by a bridge of plastic tubing and shared terror.
Suddenly, the encrypted radio on Roland’s belt buzzed with static. A frantic voice came through the speaker.
“Boss! It’s a setup! The feds aren't here—it’s the New York Outfit! They hit the Cicero warehouse with heavy caliber weapons! Walter’s gone! He cleared the gate codes before the trucks arrived! We’re taking heavy casualties!”
Roland didn't yell. He didn't lose his temper. He slowly stood up, placing Leo’s hand gently back onto the sterile sheet. He looked down at Marlene, his face turning into a mask of unyielding, ancient stone.
“They think because my children are sick, the lion has no teeth,” Roland said, his voice echoing softly in the sterile nursery. He walked over to the security locker near the door, pulling out a sleek, matte-black custom pistol and checking the magazine with a practiced, terrifying smoothness.
“Marlene,” Roland said, turning back to look at her. “The mansion is under maximum lockdown. The glass in this room is reinforced ballistic acrylic. Marcus and ten of my personal guard are stationed right outside this door. Do not leave this room, no matter what you hear on the monitors.”
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Marlene stood up, her fingers tightening around the railing of Mia’s crib. “Mr. Castellano… your children need you here. If you die in some warehouse, what happens to them?”
Roland walked over to her,
