Chapter 7 - fractured loyalty
Twenty minutes later, the helicopter slammed down on the lawn of the main Manhattan mansion. Dominic stormed through the front doors, his coat flying behind him.
He marched up the grand staircase directly into his private suite. The room was turned upside down. Drawers were yanked open, papers scattered across the floor, and the wall safe behind his painting stood wide open.
Mateo stood by the desk, holding a black tactical gloves and a small silver burner phone recovered from the floor.
"Who breached the wing?" Dominic asked, his voice lethal.
"We caught him on the balcony, Boss," Mateo said quietly. He gestured toward two guards holding a bruised, bleeding man in dark tactical gear.
Dominic walked over and pulled off the man's mask.
It was Paulie—one of Mateo's top security officers, a man who had served the Bellaro family for over eight years.
"Paulie," Dominic said softly. "You were sworn to protect this house."
Paulie spat blood onto the rug, looking up with defiance. "I work for the Commission, Bellaro! Not for a Don who lets his dead wife run circles around him!"
"Who hired you?" Dominic demanded, stepping closer.
"Check the burner phone on your desk," Paulie sneered. "Your whole house is built on lies."
Dominic picked up the burner phone from the desk. There was a single unread text message on the screen, received less than ten minutes ago:
Eliminate the child before sunrise, or the Moretti deal is off. The mother's orders stand.
Dominic stared at the message. "Mother's orders?"
"She never died in that fire, Dominic," Paulie laughed bitterly. "Elena sold you out seven years ago to Victor Moretti. She's been running Moretti's syndicate from the shadows while you raised her child!"
Dominic didn't flinch. He handed the phone back to Mateo. "Take him to the harbor. Make sure he never speaks again."
May you like
"Yes, Don Dominic," Mateo replied, gesturing for the guards to drag Paulie out.
Dominic turned back to the desk. He noticed something small tucked under his desk clock—a gold signet ring stamped with the Bellaro crest. It was his father's ring, a ring that was supposed to have been buried thirty years ago.
