Chapter 9 - the trial of the inner circle
Bianca pushed open the heavy pine door of the cabin.
Standing near the stone fireplace inside, pouring a glass of expensive bourbon, was Leo.
He turned around with an easy smile on his face, holding a heavy leather briefcase on the table beside him. "You made good time, Bianca. Do you have the drive?"
Leo paused. His smile slowly faded as Vittorio stepped into the cabin right behind her, flanked by four heavily armed loyalists from the Chicago crew.
The silence that fell over the room was deafening.
Leo looked at Vittorio, then at Bianca, understanding instantly that the game was over. He set his glass down on the mantelpiece with a slow, deliberate movement.
"How long have you known, Vittorio?" Leo asked softly, his voice devoid of anger, replaced only by a tired resignation.
"Maisy told me three days ago," Vittorio said, his deep voice filling the small cabin. "She remembered that the night Elena died, you were the one who handed her the white ribbon from Bianca's dress. You were the only person who had access to my wife's travel schedule."
Leo let out a long, ragged sigh, leaning back against the fireplace. "Elena was going to go to the federal prosecutors, Vittorio. She was going to destroy everything we built! I did it to save the family!"
"You did it to take my place," Vittorio corrected him coldly, stepping into the center of the room. "You used Bianca to feed information to Marcus Vance, hoping the feds would put me in a cage for life so you could take over the Lake Shore network."
"I gave thirty years of my life to you!" Leo shouted, his composure finally snapping. "And you were going to let a woman tear it down!"
"Elena was my wife," Vittorio said, his dark eyes glowing with lethal absolute authority. "And Maisy is my blood. You betrayed both."
Vittorio motioned to his men. Two guards stepped forward, grabbing Leo by his arms and stripping him of his shoulder holster before forcing him down into a wooden chair.
May you like
Vittorio walked over to the table, picked up the glass of bourbon Leo had poured, and set it down in front of Bianca.
"Your agreement with the federal prosecutor is void, Bianca," Vittorio said softly. "You will transfer every asset you stole back to my daughter's trust fund tonight. Or you can share a seat beside Leo at the bottom of the lake."
