Chapter 12 - The Syndicate's Retaliation
The death of Dante sent shockwaves through the Chicago underworld, but the Solntsevskaya syndicate did not retreat. Instead, they escalated.
Three days after the execution in the courtyard, Caruso intercepted an encrypted communique. The Russian boss, Nikolai, had dispatched a specialized hit squad from New York. Their mission was no longer just about territory; it was about public humiliation. They wanted Marco Duca dead, his mother burned, and his household slaughtered.
Marco gathered his capos in the subterranean war room of the estate. A map of the city covered the oak table, marked with red x's where Russian front businesses operated.
"We don't wait for them to reach the perimeter," Marco commanded, his hands resting flat on the table. "We take the city back tonight. Caruso, strike the docks. Tony, burn their supply houses on the South Side. Leave no survivors."
"Boss, what about the main compound?" Tony asked, a grizzled veteran with a cigar clamped between his teeth. "Nikolai is heavily fortified at the Grand Hotel downtown. He has thirty men inside."
"I will handle Nikolai personally," Marco said.
The room went dead silent. Caruso stepped forward. "Marco, that's suicide. You go in there alone, you're walking into a meat grinder."
"I won't be alone," Marco said, checking the action of his custom 1911. "I'll have the shadows with me. They wanted a war? I am going to show them why this city belongs to the Duca family."
As the men dispersed to arm themselves, Marco walked back upstairs to the master suite. Lena was awake, reading by the light of a bedside lamp. She looked up as he entered, her heart sinking at the sight of his tactical gear.
"You're going out," she said—a statement, not a question.
May you like
"I have to end this," Marco said, stopping at the edge of the bed. He reached out, his gloved hand brushing a lock of dark hair from her forehead. "When I get back, things are going to change around here, Lena."
"Just come back," she whispered.
