Chapter 15
The birth of Leo shifted the balance of power in Chicago forever.
Within forty-eight hours of Marcus’s death, Lucas called a meeting of the Five Families. He walked into the underground ballroom of the Continental Hotel, unescorted, unarmed, and holding a folder of documents.
He threw the folder onto the mahogany table.
“Marcus Thorne is dead,” Lucas announced to the stunned bosses. “He betrayed the syndicate. He murdered the Morettis. And my fiancée, Bella, is their true blood heir.”
The bosses murmured, tension thick in the air.
“Here is the deal,” Lucas said, leaning over the table, his eyes lethal. “The Drake-Moretti syndicate is pulling out of human trafficking, weapons, and extortion. We are taking the ports completely legitimate. Logistics, shipping, real estate.”
A Russian boss scoffed. “You are giving up billions, Drake. We will just take the territory.”
“Try it,” Lucas smiled, a terrifying expression. “I left a thumb drive in that folder. It contains every offshore account, every bribe, every dirty secret you all possess. If you ever come near my wife or my son, those files go to the FBI, the CIA, and Interpol simultaneously. We are a legitimate family now. Anyone who argues, burns.”
May you like
No one argued.
Lucas walked out of the hotel, breathing the crisp Chicago air. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel the crushing weight of the underworld on his shoulders. He felt free.
