Chapter 5 - The Ledger of Blood
Upstairs in the grand library, Elena Vance sat curled up in an oversized leather armchair, holding a porcelain cup.
The chamomile tea was hot, but her hands refused to stop their nervous, persistent shaking.
The mahogany door clicked open smoothly, revealing Dante Moretti rolling his chair into the warm, book-lined room.
He dismissed the two armed guards posted at the entryway with a quick, subtle flick of his hand.
The guards bowed their heads respectfully and pulled the double doors shut behind them, leaving them alone.
Elena quickly set her teacup down onto the saucer, attempting to stand up out of respect.
Dante held up his hand, gently instructing her to remain seated and make herself comfortable.
He studied her face carefully, taking in the high cheekbones and the distinct cleft in her chin.
He remarked that Vance was a very dangerous and historic last name to carry in the city of Chicago.
Elena froze in place, her breath hitching in her throat as the room suddenly felt dangerously small.
She swallowed hard, looking Dante dead in the eye, refusing to hide behind a mask of false innocence.
She admitted quietly that Julian Vance was her older half-brother, the black sheep her mother disowned years ago.
Dante showed no surprise, simply nodding his head as though she had merely confirmed the weather outside.
Elena leaned forward, her voice trembling with raw, authentic emotion as she pleaded her case.
She swore on her mother’s grave that she had no part in Victoria’s plot or Julian’s dirty syndicate war.
She explained that Julian had forced her to take the banquet catering job to act as his eyes inside the party.
He had threatened to burn down her mother’s flower shop in Little Italy if she refused to wear the uniform.
Her instructions had been simple: stand near the patio, watch Dante fall, and report when the body sank.
Dante watched her chest heave with genuine panic, listening intently to the cadence of her heartbeat.
He possessed a lifetime of experience reading liars, killers, politicians, and con artists.
He could see clearly that this young woman was terrified, desperate, and entirely pure of heart.
He asked her why, if she had been ordered to watch him die, she had jumped into the freezing pool instead.
Tears spilled over Elena’s lower eyelashes, tracking silently down her pale, unblemished cheeks.
She said that when she saw him struggling under the water, she did not see a feared mob boss.
She only saw a human being, helpless and trapped, fighting for his life while cowards stood by and watched.
She confessed that her father had drowned in Lake Michigan ten years ago because nobody jumped in to save him.
She swore to God that she could never stand on dry land and watch another person suffer that same horrible fate.
Dante remained silent for a long, heavy moment, the grandfather clock ticking steadily in the corner.
He reached inside his breast pocket and pulled out a small, worn leather-bound notebook with gold edges.
He set the infamous black ledger onto the side table next to her cooling cup of chamomile tea.
He told her that this book held every name, every bribe, every dirty secret, and every offshore account he owned.
This was the exact treasure her brother Julian and his treacherous wife Victoria were willing to butcher him for.
Dante looked at her with an intensity that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up straight.
May you like
He told Elena that she was going to help him destroy her brother tonight, once and for all.
And in return, he promised that her family would be protected, wealthy, and free forever from the shadows of Chicago.
