Chapter 7 - blood and shadow
Dominic walked into the dark, damp corridor of the lower holding wing. Two guards stood outside cell block three, their flashlights illuminating the open iron door.
Dominic walked inside, stepping over a severed electronic lock cable on the floor. Resting on the wooden bench was a heavy cream envelope sealed with red wax.
Dominic picked up the envelope and broke the seal. Inside was a single black-and-white photograph taken thirty years ago.
The photograph showed a young Vivienne Vale, her father, and a thirty-year-old Carmine Bellacorte standing together on a yacht in Long Island. Standing right behind them, holding a young infant wrapped in a blanket, was a woman Dominic recognized instantly—his late mother, Elena.
Dominic turned the photograph over. Written on the back in Vivienne’s sharp handwriting was a single message:
Ask Leo who his real father was before you launch your war against Moretti.
Dominic gripped the photograph tightly, his jaw clenching. The pressure on his relationship with Leo was building to a boiling point. Trust was no longer possible, but moving directly against Leo without concrete proof would trigger a civil war among the capos who still remembered Leo as a Bellacorte prince.
Dominic walked back upstairs to the master courtyard.
Leo was standing near the central stone fountain, wearing a leather jacket, smoking a cigar in the cool night air. He looked up as Dominic approached.
"Dominic," Leo said, tossing his cigar into the water. "Mateo told me Vivienne escaped. We need to lock down the city docks before she reaches Moretti."
Dominic stopped five feet away, his broad frame blocking the moonlight. "Vivienne didn't run to Moretti, Leo."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Where else would she go?"
"She went to meet the man who authorized her marriage to Marcus forty years ago," Dominic said, stepping closer. "She left a photograph in her cell, Leo. A photo of our father, her family, and an infant."
Leo’s expression didn't change, but his body visibly stiffened. "What does an old photo have to do with our current security?"
"You told me yesterday you spent five years in London," Dominic said quietly. "Who gave you the money to buy your way into the European shipping network?"
"I told you, I used the Swiss account!" Leo said, his voice tightening with frustration.
"The Swiss account was opened twenty-nine years ago by Vivienne's father," Dominic revealed, taking another step forward. "You're not working for Moretti, Leo. You're working for the Vale family."
Leo stared at Dominic for three long seconds. The silence between them was thick, heavy, and dangerous.
May you like
Before Leo could answer, a loud explosion rocked the eastern perimeter wall of the estate. A pillar of orange fire shot into the night sky, followed by the deafening chatter of automatic rifle fire from the front gate.
"Boss!" Mateo screamed over the comms radio. "We're under heavy assault! Armed strike teams are pushing through the main drive!"
