Chapter 32 - The Art of Leverage
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The back room of the social club in Queens smelled of stale cigar smoke, spilled whiskey, and cheap cologne. Marco Valenti sat behind a small, scarred wooden desk, flanked by two heavily armed thugs. He looked nervous, sweating through his cheap suit, but he puffed his chest out with unearned bravado when the door opened.
Dominic walked in entirely alone. He wore a perfectly tailored dark suit, his hands resting casually in his pockets. He did not look armed, and he did not look afraid. He looked like a titan stepping on an ant.
Marco’s thugs tensed, reaching inside their jackets.
"Relax," Dominic said, his voice smooth and incredibly dangerous. "If I wanted you dead, you would have died in your sleep three days ago. I am here for a business transaction."
Marco swallowed hard, trying to project strength. "You got my message, Vale? Two million. Cash. Or the feds and the remaining families get the locations of your ex-wife and your secret kid."
Dominic slowly approached the desk, pulling out a single, neatly folded sheet of paper from his inside pocket. He placed it on the desk and slid it toward Marco.
"What is this?" Marco sneered.
"That is a heavily documented dossier proving that for the last three years, you have been acting as a confidential informant for the FBI," Dominic said calmly. "It details exactly how you sold out three of the top capos in the Lucchese family to avoid a racketeering charge."
Marco’s face drained of all color. He looked like he was about to vomit.
"That's... that's a lie! I never talked!"
"It doesn't matter if it is a lie, Marco," Dominic smiled, a terrifying, cold expression. "It matters that the Lucchese family will believe it. The evidence is immaculate. If you release the addresses of my family, this dossier will be hand-delivered to the Lucchese underboss. You will not survive the week."
Marco stared at the paper, his entire extortion plot crumbling into dust. He looked up at Dominic, absolute terror in his eyes.
"You're a monster, Vale."
May you like
"I was," Dominic agreed smoothly. "Now, I am just a man who protects his own. Give me the ledger, Marco. And never look in my direction again."
Trembling violently, Marco opened his desk drawer, pulled out a small black book, and handed it over. Dominic took it, turned his back on the men, and walked out into the cool night air, leaving his old life firmly in the shadows.
