Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Past
Six months later, spring had fully bloomed across Chicago. The Oak Park estate, a gorgeous stone house surrounded by ancient oak trees and manicured gardens, was transformed into a warm, welcoming home for Elena and Lily.
Dante visited the house every Sunday afternoon. The formidable mafia boss, whose name made politicians and rival syndicates tread carefully, had become an affectionate uncle figure to little Lily. He brought her books, helped her with her mathematics homework, and listened patiently as she explained her latest observations about the neighborhood.
However, operating a massive commercial empire meant that old shadows rarely stayed buried forever.
On a rainy Thursday evening, Marcus entered Dante’s master office carrying a red-coded intelligence folder.
"We have a problem, Boss," Marcus said, placing the file on the desk. "Paulie Russo—Victor Vance's former network manager who helped stage Christopher’s death—just made a deal with the Moretti family's primary rival, the Falcone syndicate."
Dante looked up from his paperwork, his eyes narrowing. "Paulie was supposed to be in federal custody."
"He jumped bail two weeks ago," Marcus explained. "And according to our informants on the West Side, Paulie took a secondary encrypted backup drive from Victor's private server before he fled. He’s offering to hand over our entire port shipping route network to Don Salvatore Falcone in exchange for five million dollars and safe passage to South America."
"When is the exchange taking place?" Dante asked, his tone dropping into that familiar, lethal coldness.
"Tomorrow night at midnight. At the abandoned grain silos near the Calumet River."
Dante leaned back in his leather chair, staring at the raindrops sliding down the glass window.
"Paulie Russo helped murder Christopher Hayes," Dante said softly. "He was the one who physically dragged him to that elevator shaft. I let the federal courts handle Victor, but Paulie ran."
May you like
"Should I send a tactical team to intercept the trade?" Marcus asked.
"No," Dante replied, standing up and pulling his dark leather coat from the brass rack near the door. "I am going personally. Paulie Russo owes a final debt to the Hayes family, and I intend to collect it myself."
