Chapter 9 - The Debt is Paid
With The Tailor captured and his forces decimated, Nathan forced him to make the call to the head of the Falcone family, Don Carmine Falcone.
Sitting in the dim light of an interrogation room beneath Bellini's, the phone rang on speaker.
"Carmine," Nathan said when the line connected.
"Russo," the old Don’s voice sounded tired but dangerous over the line. "You've made a massive mistake. You've killed my men. You've disrupted our operations."
"I have your ledger, Carmine," Nathan said calmly, tapping the leather book on the table. "I have the routing numbers, the names of your corrupt port officials, and the identities of every buyer on your list. If a single one of your men steps foot in Illinois again, this book goes to the federal prosecutors, the media, and every rival family you've ever crossed."
There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line.
"You're protecting a dead man's family, Russo. Is it worth the war?"
"The war is already over, Carmine. You lost the moment you tried to buy children in my city," Nathan said. "The Carter family’s debt is paid in full, written in the blood of your men. Do we have an agreement?"
May you like
A slow sigh came through the speaker. "The Midwest is yours, Russo. The Carters do not exist to us anymore."
The line went dead. Nathan closed the ledger and looked at Caleb. "Burn the ledger's physical pages, but keep the digital copy secure. If they ever break their word, we destroy them."
