Chapter 20 - Capturing a dangerous lieutenant alive allows the ruthless syndicate leader to extract a final terrifying confession regarding the murder plot against his innocent little granddaughter.
The confession extracted from the European operative earlier that night echoed repeatedly inside Salvatore's mind.
Hearing the explicit details of how the Council of Nine targeted his family had confirmed his darkest suspicions.
They had used Marcus's gambling debts as leverage to force the security blackout three nights ago.
They believed killing a child would break Salvatore's spirit and force him to surrender control of the shipping lanes.
Instead, they had awakened an unstoppable force of nature that would hunt them down across the globe.
Salvatore paused on the landing of the grand staircase, looking at a portrait of his late son hanging on the wall.
His son's eyes seemed to look back with understanding and quiet approval of the justice delivered.
"I kept our home safe," Salvatore whispered to the painted canvas before continuing down the hallway.
He reached his master suite, pushing open the heavy mahogany door to enter the dimly lit bedroom.
The room smelled faintly of cedarwood and polished leather, offering a stark contrast to the violence of the streets.
He shed his navy blue suit jacket, tossing it neatly over the back of an armchair by the hearth.
He loosened his gold tie and unbuttoned the top collar of his burgundy dress shirt with slow, deliberate fingers.
Brun curled up on a plush dog bed in the corner of the room, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
Salvatore walked over to the bedside table, picking up a silver pocket watch and winding it carefully.
The rhythmic ticking filled the silent room like a heartbeat counting down the hours until a new dawn.
He lay down atop the crisp white sheets, staring up at the plaster moldings of the high ceiling above.
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The nightmare was over, but the vigilance required to maintain the throne would never sleep.
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