Chapter 8 - The Safehouse Confessions
They laid low in an abandoned shipyard warehouse Chloe used as a dark room. The rain beat a rhythmic tattoo against the corrugated tin roof. Silas sat on a rusted barrel, pressing a bloody rag to a deep cut on his forehead.
He looked at Leo, who was calmly reloading the Glock under a single bare bulb.
"You shouldn't have brought him into this, Chloe," Silas growled, glaring at their cousin.
"He brought himself," Chloe shot back, tossing Silas a bottle of painkillers. "He fought off a Maroni hitman in your apartment and brought me the ledger. He’s not a kid anymore, Silas. Stop treating him like one."
Silas closed his eyes, the weight of the night finally catching up to him. "I did terrible things, Leo. I built an empire of blood just to keep your hands clean. When Dad died, the Maronis wanted to wipe our entire bloodline. I made a deal. I became their dog so you could be free."
"I was never free," Leo said quietly, looking up. "My entire life was a cage you built out of guilt. I thought I was fragile because you never let me fight my own battles. You took away my choices, Silas."
Silas looked at his younger brother, tears welling in his hardened eyes. "I just wanted you to be good. To be the one Vance who wasn't poisoned by this city."
"I am good," Leo said, stepping closer and placing a firm hand on his brother’s shoulder. "Because I’m choosing to save you. Not for money. Not for power. Because you're my brother."
Suddenly, the heavy iron doors of the warehouse shrieked as they were forced open. Headlights flooded the dark space, blinding them. Three black SUVs rolled into the warehouse, blocking the only exit.
May you like
Doors opened, and a dozen heavily armed men stepped out. From the center vehicle emerged Don Maroni himself—an aging, ruthless man leaning on a silver cane.
"Well," Maroni’s voice echoed in the cavernous space. "Isn't this a touching family reunion."
