Chapter 8 - The Serpent's Bargain
Across town, inside a smoke-filled private club overlooking the harbor, Vanessa Bellini sat on a leather sofa, sipping vintage champagne with Julian Castiglione.
Her designer dress was immaculate, but her eyes were wild with hatred.
"You promised me your men would have them by midnight," Vanessa snapped, tapping her long acrylic nails against the crystal flute. "I gave you the back gate codes to the Moretti compound, and I gave you the Vance girl’s address! Why haven't I heard that Luca is on his knees?"
Julian Castiglione, a scarred man in his early forties with cold, dead eyes, took a long drag from his cigar and blew smoke into the dim room.
The double doors of the office swung open.
A lone survivor from the Elmhurst raid staggered in, clutching a shattered shoulder, his face pale with shock.
"Boss..." the hitman gasped. "It was an ambush. Moretti was already there. He wiped the squad in sixty seconds. The girl and the kid are in the main fortress right now."
Vanessa gasped, dropping her champagne glass. It shattered on the marble floor, sparkling wine pooling around her designer heels. "What?! How did he get there so fast?!"
Julian slowly set his cigar down in an onyx ashtray. He rose from his seat, walking over to Vanessa until the shadow of his towering frame swallowed her.
"You told me Luca was weak," Julian said, his voice a dangerous whisper. "You told me he was distracted by a domestic scandal and that taking the girl would give us the leverage to seize the docks without a single shot."
"He... he is weak!" Vanessa stammered, stepping back, suddenly remembering that the men she was dealing with were far more savage than the disciplined syndicate Luca ran. "He threw away our engagement over a maid! He broke a political alliance for trash! He's losing his mind, Julian!"
*SMACK.*
The backhand struck Vanessa with brutal force, sending her sprawling across the Persian rug. She screamed, clutching her bruised cheek, her hair falling across her face in disarray.
"You stupid, arrogant bitch," Julian growled, standing over her. "Luca Moretti didn't break an alliance for trash. He broke it because Gabriel Vance was the cornerstone of the Moretti legend. By attacking that girl, you didn't expose Luca's weakness. You gave him total moral justification to unleash every soldier he owns on my territory."
Julian snapped his fingers. Two burly enforcers stepped forward, grabbing Vanessa by her arms and hauling her to her feet.
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"What are you doing?!" she shrieked, panic clawing at her throat. "My father is a Senator! You can't touch me!"
"Your father can't protect you in the dark," Julian sneered. "Luca is going to hunt down every address linked to my name by dawn. But you... you are my insurance policy. If Luca wants to burn this city, you're going to be the kindling."
