Chapter 3 - The Embezzlement
The silence at our table was absolute and deafening.
My heart hammered against my ribs so violently I thought it might crack my sternum.
I looked down at the paper Donatelli had dropped.
It was a perfectly accurate ledger of the offshore accounts I had been draining.
I had siphoned the money slowly, carefully, to pay off my late father's gambling debts to a vicious cartel.
I had covered my tracks brilliantly.
Or so I thought.
I slowly looked up at Larkin, expecting to see a gun pointed at my head.
Instead, Larkin looked completely bored.
"Her accounting practices are an internal family matter, Victor," Larkin said smoothly.
Donatelli frowned, clearly confused by Larkin's lack of rage.
"She stole from you," Donatelli argued, pointing a thick finger at my face.
"That means her life belongs to the highest bidder."
Larkin reached inside his tailored jacket, and the four enforcers instantly reached for their weapons.
The ballroom music came to a screeching halt.
Dozens of guests backed away, sensing the imminent bloodshed.
Larkin did not pull a gun.
He pulled a platinum money clip and tossed a small black casino chip onto the table.
"I bid five million," Larkin declared loudly, his voice echoing in the quiet room.
A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd of criminals.
Donatelli's face turned purple with fury.
"You cannot bid on your own asset," Donatelli growled.
"I just did," Larkin smiled coldly.
"Now take your men and back away from my table."
Donatelli reached to his waistband and pulled a heavy silver revolver.
Before Larkin could react, someone stepped up beside him.
It was Thomas.
I let out a breath of relief, thinking Thomas was finally stepping up to defend his cousin.
Then Thomas drew his own weapon.
He did not aim it at Donatelli.
Thomas pressed the barrel of his gun directly into the base of Larkin's spine.
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"Sorry, cousin," Thomas whispered with a cruel smile.
"But the board of directors just voted for a change in management."
