Chapter 8 - The Trap is Set
Julian’s retaliation was a masterpiece of organized destruction.
He didn't just want Arthur dead. Death was too quick. He wanted Arthur to suffer the same utter humiliation and powerlessness he had inflicted on Clara and Sofia.
Through Dante, Julian reached out to the Commission—the ruling body of the East Coast syndicates. He presented them with proof that Arthur had hired unsanctioned hitters to attack a made man’s estate. In the mafia world, it was an unforgivable breach of protocol. The Commission washed their hands of Arthur, stripping him of all underground protection.
Simultaneously, Julian anonymously leaked Arthur’s hidden ledgers to the FBI, detailing decades of money laundering, bribery, and the specific payoffs he had made to Dr. Aris to cover up Clara’s abuse.
Arthur was a dead man walking, with the feds closing in on one side and the mob closing in on the other.
Julian sent Arthur a single, encrypted message: Meet me at the old shipyard tonight. Bring nothing. If you run, I’ll have my men put a bullet in your spine before you reach the state line.
"I’m coming with you," Clara said, standing in the foyer as Julian strapped on his shoulder holster.
Julian paused. "It’s going to be ugly, Clara. You don't need to see it."
May you like
"Yes, I do," Clara said, her blue-gray eyes burning with a fierce, newfound fire. "He made me look at the floor my entire life. Tonight, I want him to look at me."
Julian stared at her, a dark, primal pride swelling in his chest. He nodded once. "Let's go."
