Chapter 6 - The Confession in the Shadows
Deep in the subterranean security holding level beneath the Bellamy House estate, the air was cool, smelling of damp concrete, ozone, and old iron.
Ryan Vance sat handcuffed to a heavy steel chair bolted to the floor. His expensive grey suit was wrinkled, his silver-streaked hair slightly disheveled, and a nasty bruise was blooming along his jawline where one of Marcus’s enforcers had gently persuaded him to cooperate.
The heavy steel door swung open with a loud metallic groan, and Daniel Hargrove stepped into the cell.
Marcus followed close behind, carrying a heavy metal folding chair, which he placed directly in front of Ryan before standing back against the wall like a statue.
Daniel sat down slowly, resting his arms on his knees, staring at the Chicago syndicate lieutenant with calm, terrifying focus.
"Ryan," Daniel said, his voice smooth as glass. "Lovely of you to drop by for the wedding. Too bad you missed the reception."
Ryan spat a glob of blood onto the concrete floor, lifting his chin with forced bravado. "Go to hell, Hargrove. You can't hold me here. The Rossi family knows I'm at this estate. If I don't check in by midnight, a full war party is coming down Magnolia Avenue."
Daniel chuckled softly—a low, resonant sound that carried zero humor.
"Let me enlighten you about your current situation, Ryan," Daniel said, leaning forward. "About two hours ago, your little girlfriend Vanessa tried to blame the entire operation on you, claiming you threatened her family. Cute, right? True partner material."
Ryan’s eyes flickered with a sudden, betraying flash of anger. "She talked?"
"Like a broken faucet," Daniel lied smoothly, watching Ryan’s expression fracture. "She gave us the exact routing numbers for your offshore accounts in the Caymans. She gave us the encryption keys to your Chicago servers. And, most importantly, she signed a comprehensive confession detailing every single meeting you two had over the past six months."
Ryan cursed loudly, straining against the steel handcuffs until the metal rattled. "That lying, manipulative bitch! I gave up everything for her! I financed her entire high-society wardrobe with my own crew's cut, and the second things go sideways, she throws me under the bus!"
"Loyalty in our line of work is a rare commodity, Ryan," Daniel said, standing up and brushing invisible dust from his knees. "Fortunately, I have a strict policy about dealing with rats."
"What are you going to do?" Ryan demanded, sweat beading on his forehead. "Kill me? The federal marshals will tear this place apart—"
"Kill you?" Daniel interrupted with a faint, chilling smile. "No, Ryan. Killing you is entirely too merciful, and it creates too much paperwork. Besides, the Rossi family in Chicago has been trying to usurp your territory for months, haven't they?"
Ryan’s face turned the color of ash. "What are you talking about?"
"Marcus," Daniel called out without looking back.
"Boss?"
"Send the decrypted server files, the bank routing numbers, and a copy of Ryan’s confession directly to Don Salvatore Rossi in Chicago. Add a personal note from me: Consider this a wedding gift from New York. Do with your stray dog as you please."
"Understood, boss," Marcus replied with a cold grin.
Ryan let out a blood-curdling scream of pure terror as two enforcers stepped forward, unbolting his chair from the floor and hauling him toward the exit. "No! Hargrove, you can't! They'll skin me alive! Please—!"
The heavy steel door slammed shut, cutting off the screams, leaving Daniel standing alone in the quiet concrete room.
May you like
The storm outside had finally broken, leaving the night air clean and still. The false wedding was over. The traitor was gone.
Now, there was only one thing left to do.
