Chapter 13 - The Wrath of the Commission
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The Marchetti penthouse was a fortress of steel and bulletproof glass. Inside the master bedroom, the finest underground surgeon in Chicago was frantically stitching the deep laceration on Adeline’s side and treating her concussion.
Enzo stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the falling snow. His knuckles were bruised, and his white shirt was still stained with Adeline's blood. He refused to change. He wanted the blood to remind him of the exact price of his enemies' betrayal.
His underboss, Luca, stepped into the room, his face grim.
"Boss," Luca said quietly. "The Commission has officially called an emergency sit-down. Rossi is demanding you hand over the girl by dawn for execution. They claim she assaulted a made man's daughter. If you refuse, every family in the Midwest will green-light a hit on you."
Enzo didn't blink. He poured two fingers of scotch and downed it.
"Rossi tried to poison me at a public gala. He broke the sacred truce first."
"They don't care," Luca warned. "They control the judges, the police, and the ports. Enzo, you have three hundred men. The Commission has three thousand. We cannot win a brute-force war against them just to protect one maid."
Enzo turned around slowly. His eyes were completely void of fear.
"She is not a maid, Luca. She is the only person in this godforsaken city who proved her loyalty with her own blood. Prepare the men. Empty the armories."
"Enzo, this is suicide," Luca pleaded.
"No," Enzo corrected, a dark, terrifying smile curving his lips. "It is an extermination."
From the massive king-sized bed, a weak voice broke the tension.
"You don't need three thousand men to destroy Rossi," Adeline whispered.
Enzo rushed to the bedside, falling to his knees and taking her pale hand. "Adeline. You should be resting. Do not speak."
She squeezed his hand, her brown eyes remarkably clear despite the pain medication.
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"I spent two years cleaning Rossi’s private study," she breathed out. "They treat the help like we are deaf and blind. I know where he keeps his hidden ledger, Enzo. I know exactly which families he has been stealing from."
Enzo stared at her, utterly stunned by the brilliant, dangerous mind hiding beneath the maid's uniform.
