Chapter 4 - The Ransom
I dropped the dead lawyer onto the carpet and wiped the blood from my hands.
If Alina was still alive, Matteo was keeping her as his ultimate leverage.
My phone rang loudly in the silent, bloody penthouse.
I answered it without hesitation.
"Did you find Mercer in time to hear his final confession?" Matteo asked smoothly.
"I am going to tear you apart piece by piece," I promised him.
"You are going to do exactly what I say if you ever want to see Alina again," he laughed.
A video call request popped up on my screen.
I accepted it and my heart completely stopped.
Alina was tied to a metal chair in a dark, damp basement.
She looked exhausted, bruised, but undeniably beautiful and alive.
"Marco, do not give him anything!" she screamed before a guard struck her across the face.
A blinding rage consumed every rational thought in my brain.
"I want you to transfer full ownership of the Chicago ports to my name by midnight," Matteo ordered.
"If you do not show up at the old warehouse district alone with the paperwork, she dies."
"And if you try to bring an army, I will execute her on a live feed."
He ended the call, leaving me staring at a black screen.
I knew Matteo had no intention of letting either of us walk away from that warehouse.
He needed to eliminate my entire bloodline to cement his absolute control over the syndicate.
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But Matteo had made one fatal miscalculation.
He forgot that I was the most ruthless predator in this city.
