Chapter 3 - The Burner Phone
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Elena followed his instructions perfectly. She bought a cheap prepaid phone with cash at a bodega three towns over. She rented a dingy, ground-floor motel room under the name 'Sarah Jenkins', paying for a week in advance.
When she returned to the mansion that evening, Dominic was already standing at the bottom of the basement stairs, leaning heavily against the railing. He wore his ruined, blood-stained shirt, but he carried himself like a king surveying his domain.
"Are you ready?" Elena asked, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Lead the way," he replied.
The ascent was agonizing. Every step made Dominic wince, his hand clutching his wounded side, but he refused to let her help him. He was proving a point, mostly to himself.
They slipped out the back door into the cool, dark autumn air. Elena’s beat-up sedan was parked two blocks away in the shadows of a defunct factory.
Dominic collapsed into the passenger seat, sweating profusely, breathing hard.
"Drive," he gasped.
Elena didn't hesitate. She navigated the quiet suburban streets, merging onto the highway toward the city. The tension in the car was suffocating. Every passing police cruiser made her grip the steering wheel tighter.
"Give me the phone," Dominic requested, his voice steadying.
She handed him the cheap plastic device. He dialed a number from memory. It rang twice.
"Silas," Dominic said.
Elena kept her eyes on the road, but she listened intently.
"Do not speak. Listen," Dominic commanded into the phone. "I am alive. Marcus is the traitor. He attempted an execution at the South Boston property. I need to know who is loyal."
A pause. Dominic’s jaw tightened.
"Good. Liquidate the offshore ghost accounts immediately. Move the capital to the secondary shell corps. Freeze Marcus’s access to the main logistics network. I am going dark for three more days to heal."
He hung up the phone and removed the battery, tossing both pieces onto the dashboard.
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"Who is Silas?" Elena asked softly.
"My head of security. The only man in my organization I trust more than myself," Dominic replied, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes. "And now, Marcus is going to wake up tomorrow morning completely locked out of the empire he thought he stole."
