Chapter 9 - Forging the Blade
Camilla clung to Matteo, sobbing uncontrollably against his chest. The heavy burden she had carried for weeks finally shattered, replaced by a desperate, terrifying hope.
"Matteo, they have a dozen men there," she whispered, her hands gripping his shirt. "They’re ruthless."
"So am I," Matteo replied, wiping a tear from her cheek. "But I need you to be strong right now. I need you to make a phone call."
He handed her the burner phone she had used to communicate with the Morettis.
"Call Don Moretti directly," Matteo ordered. "Tell him the pier was a bust, that I changed the schedule at the last minute. Tell him I’m coming to the Queens slaughterhouse tonight to negotiate a trade: my life for Julian’s."
Camilla’s eyes widened in horror. "No! If you go there, they'll slaughter you!"
"They’re going to try," Matteo corrected. "But the moment you make that call, Don Moretti will pull all his heavy hitters to the front of the slaughterhouse to prepare for my arrival. He won't be able to resist the chance to kill me himself."
"And then?"
"And then," Matteo said, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips, "my tactical team breaches from the sewer access below the meat locker. We don't negotiate. We eradicate."
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Camilla took a deep, shuddering breath. She looked at the burner phone, then at Matteo. The fear in her eyes was replaced by a sudden, fierce determination. She dialed the number.
"It's Camilla," she said into the receiver, her voice steady and icy. "The intel was bad. But Matteo knows everything. And he's coming for you."
