Chapter 13 - The Thorne Ultimatum
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The safe house served as a temporary fortress while Lorenzo mobilized his entire syndicate. By the next morning, the city's criminal underworld was on absolute high alert. The Moretti family was out for blood.
Lorenzo stood in the makeshift command center of the warehouse, a secure satellite phone pressed to his ear. Rocco and the other capos stood by silently, waiting for the boss’s command.
On the other end of the line was Victor Thorne, Isabella’s father and the head of the New York syndicate.
“Your men missed, Victor,” Lorenzo said, his voice deadly calm. “And now, you are going to pay the price for their incompetence.”
“You humiliated my daughter, Moretti,” Victor’s voice crackled through the speaker, dripping with arrogance. “You broke an alliance and threw her out like trash. The hit yesterday was just a warning. Surrender the South Side shipping ports to my family, and apologize to Isabella, or the next bullet goes through the windshield, not the door.”
Lorenzo let out a low, dark laugh that chilled the blood of everyone in the room.
“You think you are in a position to make demands?” Lorenzo sneered. “You attacked my family. You targeted children. There is no surrender, Victor. There is no negotiation. I am going to hunt down every man who wears your crest in this city, and I am going to bury them in the foundations of my buildings.”
“You’re arrogant, Lorenzo. It will be your downfall,” Victor threatened.
“My downfall won't come from a coward who shoots at kids,” Lorenzo replied coldly, ending the call.
He turned to Rocco, his eyes completely black. “Take the men. Hit the Thorne safe houses on the East Side. Burn them to the ground. Leave no survivors.”
“Yes, Boss,” Rocco nodded, immediately mobilizing the heavily armed teams.
Lorenzo walked back into the living quarters. Elvira was reading a book to Leo and Mia, keeping them distracted from the chaos outside. Lorenzo watched her for a moment, his heart heavy with the terrifying burden of keeping her safe.
May you like
He walked over and knelt beside the sofa. “We’re moving back to the estate tonight,” Lorenzo told her softly. “It’s fully locked down. It’s the safest place in the city right now. I have increased the security detail to fifty men.”
Elvira nodded, closing the book. “We’ll be ready.”
