Chapter 7 - The Ultimatum
The small apartment fell dead silent.
Vincent sat up slowly, wincing as the fresh stitches pulled against his skin.
He held his hand out.
Leo handed him the burner phone.
Vincent pressed the speaker button and set the phone on the coffee table.
“Hello, Julian,” Vincent said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
A smooth, arrogant laugh echoed through the tiny speaker.
“You always were hard to kill, big brother,” Julian’s voice chimed.
“I honestly thought the C4 would handle it.”
Mave felt a sick feeling rise in her stomach.
The man on the phone sounded entirely too casual about trying to murder his own brother.
“Why are you doing this, Julian?” Vincent asked.
“The Rossi family will bleed this city dry if you give them the ports.”
“I’m not giving the Rossi family anything,” Julian corrected smoothly.
“I used Dante and his men to create a distraction.”
“While you were busy shooting up the Plaza Hotel and chasing ghosts at the docks, I walked into our central bank in Manhattan and transferred the entire syndicate treasury into a private offshore account.”
Vincent froze.
“You emptied the vault?”
“Every last dime,” Julian confirmed cheerfully.
“The Costa Syndicate is officially bankrupt, Vincent.”
“Your capos won't fight for a boss who can't pay them.”
“By sunrise, they will all pledge loyalty to me.”
Vincent stared at the phone, realizing the absolute magnitude of his brother’s betrayal.
Julian had orchestrated a perfect, bloodless coup while Vincent was fighting for his life.
“I will hunt you down, Julian,” Vincent vowed softly.
“No, you won't,” Julian replied.
“Because you are going to surrender to me in exactly one hour.”
Julian paused for dramatic effect.
“Or I am going to order the execution of the lovely Mave’s younger sister, Sarah.”
Mave stopped breathing completely.
“She’s studying abroad in Milan right now, isn't she?” Julian mocked gently.
“My men are currently standing outside her dormitory.”
“If you don't walk into the main headquarters and sign the family over to me by 2:00 AM, Sarah dies.”
The line went dead.
Mave dropped to her knees on the living room floor, her hands trembling violently.
Her little sister.
The only family she had left in the world.
She looked up at Vincent, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
Vincent stood up from the couch, completely ignoring the agonizing pain in his ribs.
He looked at Leo.
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“Get the car.”
“We’re going to headquarters.”
