Chapter 8 - The Betrayal Within
The heavy oak doors of the boardroom slammed shut as Dominic Rossi slumped back into his chair, defeated by a twenty-year-old nursing student.
“You win, Salvini,” Dominic muttered, glaring across the table with venomous hatred. “Take the port authority. Take it all.”
Joseph didn't smile; he knew men like Dominic never surrendered without a hidden knife ready in their boot.
“The docks are ours,” Joseph said, standing up and motioning for Audrey to follow him toward the exit.
As they walked back out to the convoy, Marcus lagged behind, his eyes scanning the empty parking garage with sudden suspicion.
“Boss,” Marcus hissed over the secure comms earpiece. “We have movement on the upper level. Sniper positions.”
Before Joseph could shove Audrey down behind the armored car, a deafening explosion shattered the concrete pillar ten feet away.
“Ambush!” Marcus roared, drawing his weapon and returning fire upward toward the shadows of the parking deck.
Glass shattered across the hood of the car as a hail of submachine gun fire rained down from the concrete ramp above.
“Get in the car!” Joseph shouted, bodily lifting Audrey and pushing her into the backseat while diving in right behind her.
The driver slammed his foot on the gas, tearing through the metal security gate as bullets pinged off the reinforced steel body of the SUV.
Audrey’s chest heaved as she clutched the black ledger tightly to her chest, her hands covered in a light layer of concrete dust.
“That wasn't Dominic’s men,” Joseph said, his voice deadly calm as he reloaded his Glock in the backseat. “Dominic didn't have the fire-power for tactical explosives.”
Marcus’s voice crackled over the front radio console.
“Boss, I ran the telemetry on the bullet casings recovered from the upper deck,” Marcus reported, sounding grim. “It wasn't the Outfit. It was an internal security code.”
Joseph’s eyes went dark, the realization hitting him like a physical blow.
“Someone inside our own estate leaked our schedule,” Joseph whispered.
Audrey looked at her father, the terrifying realization dawning on her that the war wasn't just outside their walls anymore—it was living among them.
“Who has access to your daily schedules besides Marcus?” Audrey asked, her voice shaking slightly.
“Only Elena... and my chief of security, Julian,” Joseph replied, his jaw clenching so hard it looked like it might fracture.
When the convoy pulled back into the sprawling stone estate, the tension inside the vehicle was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Joseph stepped out first, his hand resting on his weapon as he marched straight toward the front double doors.
Elena was waiting in the grand foyer, holding a silver tray with a shaken expression on her face.
“Mr. Salvini, thank goodness you’re safe—I heard the explosions on the police scanner,” Elena stammered, wringing her hands together.
Joseph stopped dead in his tracks, staring past Elena toward the dark corridor leading to the security control room.
“Where is Julian?” Joseph demanded.
Elena blinked nervously, her eyes darting toward the side exit. “He... he said he went to check the perimeter cameras ten minutes ago.”
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Joseph pulled out his encrypted phone, bringing up the estate’s internal security feed with a few rapid swipes of his thumb.
The screen flickered to life, showing the main server room door blown wide open and Julian’s keycard lying shattered on the floor.
