Chapter 5 - The Choice of Iron
The atmosphere in the room transformed instantly. The quiet luxury vanished, replaced by the sharp, electric stench of imminent violence.
Sophia shrank back onto the bed, grabbing Marcus’s hand with her tiny, cold fingers. Marcus felt his blood run cold.
Eight men’s lives... for mine, Marcus thought, his chest heaving as the weight of the situation slammed into his mind.
Vincent stood completely motionless in the center of the room. His face was an unreadable mask of carved granite, but the veins on his neck bulged against his collar.
"Salvatore is testing me," Vincent said, his voice terrifyingly calm—a quiet before a hurricane. "He thinks because I lost Marco three months ago, I am desperate. He thinks I will trade a boy who saved my daughter’s life to save face with my captains."
"Boss," Leo pleaded, stepping forward frantically. "The board of directors... the other family captains are already calling headquarters. They are panicking! Frankie, Dominic, and Antonio are among the hostages in Warehouse 4! Their crews are threatening to launch an unsanctioned attack if we don't negotiate!"
"I do not negotiate with dogs who target children," Vincent growled softly.
"Mr. Torino," Marcus spoke up, his voice trembling, though he forced himself to sit up straight on the bed.
Vincent turned his cold gaze toward Marcus. "Stay out of this, Marcus. This is syndicate business."
"No," Marcus said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the sharp tug of the IV line. "Those eight men have families, don't they? They have kids, wives, people who care about them. You said it yourself—Salvatore wants me because I saved Sophia. If I go to him—"
"If you go to him, he will skin you alive and hang you from the bridge!" Vincent roared, stepping toward the bed with such overwhelming power that Marcus involuntarily flinched.
Vincent grabbed Marcus by his shoulders, his heavy fingers digging into his sweater.
"Listen to me, Marcus Chen," Vincent snarled, his face inches from Marcus’s. "When my wife died eight years ago, I swore an oath on her grave that no one under my roof would ever be abandoned again. You wrapped your grandmother’s coat around my daughter in a blizzard. That makes you family. And in the Torino family, we do not trade family to save our skins!"
Marcus stared into Vincent's eyes, stunned by the raw, ferocious loyalty radiating from the older man. For twenty-three years, every adult in Marcus's life had abandoned him the moment things got difficult. Foster parents had surrendered him for small stipends; shelter managers had thrown him out into the snow when beds were full; employers had fired him over broken five-dollar plates.
Yet here was a ruthless mafia kingpin, facing a full-scale war, declaring that Marcus was family worth fighting for.
"Leo," Vincent commanded, releasing Marcus's shoulders and turning around.
"Sir!"
"Assemble the Vanguard," Vincent ordered, his voice echoing through the room like a war horn. "Call in our tactical teams from the South District. Get the heavy armaments out of the armory. We are not going to Warehouse 4 to trade."
Leo’s eyes widened with dark excitement. "Boss... we're going to war?"
"We are going to erase the Moretti name from this city once and for all," Vincent declared, pulling a silver signet ring from his pocket and tossing it onto the bed beside Marcus.
May you like
Marcus picked up the heavy ring. It bore the crest of a roaring lion wrapped in silver thorns.
"Put that in your pocket, Marcus," Vincent said, looking back over his shoulder. "In three hours, you are going to watch how the Torino family protects its own."
