Chapter 10 - The Monster Awakens
Dante called Enzo back in Chicago. The war council was held over an encrypted video feed. Dante’s lieutenants looked grim, expecting him to capitulate to save the girl.
“We don't negotiate,” Dante’s voice was absolute zero. “Salvatore Falcone thinks I have gone soft because I am protecting someone. I want to remind the city exactly why I own it.”
“Boss, if we hit the Falcones, we expose our flanks,” Enzo warned. “It’s a suicide run.”
“It’s an extermination,” Dante corrected. “Tonight, I want strikes on all six of Falcone’s legitimate businesses. Burn his casinos, intercept his shipments, and empty his offshore accounts. I want him bleeding from a thousand cuts by sunrise. And I am coming back to Chicago to deal with Salvatore myself.”
Maria had been listening from the hallway. When Dante ended the call and walked out, she was standing there, her face pale.
“You’re leaving us?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I’m securing your future,” Dante pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “As long as Salvatore and Marco breathe, you will always be looking over your shoulder. I promised to keep you safe. This is how I do it.”
“Come back to us,” Maria whispered, grabbing his lapels, her eyes filled with tears. “If you die, we have nothing.”
May you like
“I’m Dante Caruso,” he smirked, a dark, dangerous edge to his smile. “Death is afraid of me.”
He kissed her one last time, walked out the door, and disappeared into the freezing winter night. The ghost of the underworld had awakened, and he was hungry for blood.
