Chapter 16 - The Lion's Den
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The grand ballroom of the Atlantic City casino had been entirely cleared of tourists and civilians.
Inside, heavily armed guards lined the walls. At the center of the room sat a massive round table, occupied by the heads of the four remaining major crime families in the country. The air was thick with cigar smoke, expensive scotch, and impending violence.
The heavy mahogany doors swung open.
The entire room fell dead silent as Luca Ferraro entered.
He wore a pristine black tuxedo, exuding the terrifying, quiet power that had made him a legend. But all eyes immediately shifted to the woman walking beside him.
Elena was breathtaking. She wore a floor-length, deep emerald silk gown that clung to her curves, a slit revealing a glimpse of leg. Diamonds glittered at her throat and ears, gifts from Luca that cost more than the casino itself. She walked with perfect posture, her chin held high, her hand resting confidently on Luca’s arm.
She did not look like a former housekeeper. She looked like a Mafia Queen.
“Ferraro,” sneered Don Falcone, an older, vicious boss from Chicago. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here. And you brought a civilian to a Commission meeting? Have you lost your mind?”
Luca didn't flinch. He pulled out a chair for Elena, waited for her to sit, and then took his own seat directly across from Falcone.
“I didn't bring a civilian, Falcone,” Luca said, his voice echoing in the silent room. “I brought my future wife.”
A murmur of shock rippled around the table.
“Congratulations are irrelevant,” barked Russo, a boss from Miami. “You annihilated the Moretti family without a Commission vote. You broke the truce, Luca. You executed a Boss in cold blood. The penalty is death, and the stripping of your territory.”
“I executed a rat who attacked my home,” Luca corrected smoothly, leaning forward. “Dominic Moretti hired a traitor to bypass my security. He sent an assault team to murder the woman sitting next to me, and her three-year-old child.”
Falcone laughed harshly. “A likely story to justify a power grab. Where is your proof, Ferraro? Dead men can't testify.”
Luca smiled. A dark, terrifying expression.
“I don't need dead men to testify, Falcone. I have living ones.”
Luca snapped his fingers.
May you like
The side doors of the ballroom opened, and Matteo dragged a terrified, beaten Charles Harland into the room, throwing the former estate manager onto his knees in front of the table.
“Tell them,” Luca ordered softly. “Tell them exactly who hired you to betray my family.”
