Chapter 4 - The Defection of Matteo
The war for control of Chicago’s shipping lines erupted with a violent, terrifying intensity that the city hadn't seen in three decades. Matteo Moretti had not just run; he had handed over the encryption codes for Moretti Global Shipping's primary terminal to Victor Colombo, the ruthless don of the Colombo syndicate.
By 3:00 AM, the cold waters of Lake Michigan were illuminated by the orange glow of a massive fire. A Moretti cargo freighter, carrying fifty million dollars worth of legitimate electronics and high-end automotive parts, had been sabotaged at the pier, its engine room blown apart by a localized C4 charge.
Dominic sat in the underground command center beneath his Lake Forest estate, surrounded by twenty computer monitors displaying real-time tactical feeds of the city’s industrial sectors. He had stripped off his suit jacket, wearing only a black tactical vest over his dress shirt, the dragon tattoo on his neck casting long, grim shadows against the concrete wall under the fluorescent lights.
"We’ve lost the South Docks terminal, Boss," one of his tech specialists reported, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "Matteo’s biometric override bypasses our secondary firewalls. They’re rerouting three incoming international shipments to Colombo-controlled warehouses in Gary, Indiana."
"Let them take the cargo," Dominic said flatly, his ice-blue eyes fixed on a map of the Indiana border. "The cargo is insured. My family is not. Gabriel, where is Matteo hiding?"
"Our informants inside the Colombo family say he’s being kept at the Starlight Casino downtown," Gabriel replied, checking the magazine of his automatic rifle. "Victor Colombo has placed forty of his best soldiers around the penthouse suite. It’s a vertical fortress, Dominic. If we launch a direct assault, the police response will be instantaneous, and the civilian casualties will be massive."
Suddenly, the elevator doors at the back of the command center clicked open.
Dominic’s hand instinctively dropped to the pistol at his hip, but he froze when he saw Elena step out of the lift. She wore a simple dark sweater and jeans, her face pale but her expression filled with a fierce, unbreakable determination that reminded him exactly why he had fallen in love with her six years ago.
"Elena, get back upstairs," Dominic ordered, his voice dropping into a harsh, protective rumble. "This isn't a place for you."
"I’m not a child to be hidden away anymore, Dominic," Elena said, stepping straight into the center of the room, completely ignoring the armed enforcers who instinctively lowered their heads in respect. She walked over to the primary console, pointing to a specific node on the digital map of the Starlight Casino.
"You're trying to breach the front," Elena said, looking into his eyes. "But you forgot who built the logistics network for that casino five years ago before I left. Moretti Global installed the emergency underground ventilation and cash-vault evacuation tubes. There is a maintenance maintenance tunnel that bypasses the hotel’s elevator shafts entirely, leading straight into the kitchen of the penthouse suite."
Dominic stared at her, a profound, proud admiration breaking through his icy exterior. He walked over to her, wrapping his massive arms around her waist, pulling her close against his chest. "You kept the blue prints?"
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"I kept everything that belonged to the Morettis," Elena whispered, leaning into his touch for a brief, desperate second. "Bring my children’s grandfather to justice, Dominic. But promise me you’ll come back alive to be their father."
Dominic pressed a fierce, possessive kiss to her lips. "I’ll return by sunrise, Elena. And I’ll bring Matteo’s head with me."
