Chapter 8 - The Fall of the Old Guard
From the shadows behind the rusted meat hooks, two more figures were dragged out by Maya’s security team.
Aldo Vescari and Carlo Neri were thrown onto the concrete at Dominic’s feet. Carlo was semi-conscious, his bandaged shoulder leaking fresh crimson. Aldo looked small, his age finally showing as he shivered in the damp cold.
“Dominic,” Aldo wheezed, clutching his knees. “Your father… your father would never allow a woman to dictate the terms of the family.”
Dominic didn't even look down at him. “My father died in a prison cell because he trusted men like you, Aldo. Men who measure loyalty by the size of the envelope at the end of the month. My wife measured her loyalty by walking into a den of wolves alone to pull me out.”
He looked at Maya, giving her a silent nod.
Maya stepped forward, pulling a small silver drive from her clutch. She tossed it onto the concrete before Aldo.
“That contains the full audit of the Marbella transactions, Aldo,” Maya said in her clear, calm English. “It also contains the logs of your communications with the federal prosecutor’s office in Detroit. You were preparing to sell out the entire council to secure your own retirement.”
The room went completely still. Even Roman looked at Aldo with a sudden, vicious disgust.
“You old bastard,” Roman hissed. “You said we were saving the family.”
“I was saving myself!” Aldo screamed, his facade completely disintegrating. “This family is a sinking ship! Dominic changed the rules! He stopped the human trafficking, he stopped the high-risk drugs… he turned us into a corporate logistics firm! There is no money in legitimacy!”
“There is survival in legitimacy,” Dominic said, his voice absolute. “But you won't live to see it.”
Dominic turned to Leo. “Take Aldo and Carlo out. They belong to the river now. Ensure the council receives the documentation of their betrayal before dawn. Let them see exactly why the old guard had to be cleared away.”
May you like
Aldo screamed as he was dragged backward into the dark, his old fingers clawing at the concrete until the heavy steel doors closed, cutting off his voice permanently.
Only Roman remained, sitting in the center of the light, his breathing ragged as he looked up at the brother he had betrayed.
