Chapter 7 - The Traitor Was Standing Right Beside Us: The Subtle Clue Everyone Missed But the Waitress
By morning, the penthouse was secure.
Leo had wiped out the hit squad, and Dominic’s personal cleaners had already arrived to scrub the blood from the marble.
Dominic sat in a leather chair in the living room, a fresh bandage wrapped tight around his ribs, his face grim.
His uncle, Vincent Moretti, stormed out of the elevator, surrounded by four guards.
"Dominic! Thank God," Vincent rasped, rushing forward to grip his nephew's shoulder. "I heard the chatter on the scanners. Are you alright?"
"I'll live, Uncle," Dominic said coldly.
"The Rossis have gone too far," Vincent spat, pacing the room. "They hit your home. We have to strike back. We have to wipe them out tonight."
Chloe stood quietly in the corner, making herself small. Background noise. Just like at the restaurant.
She watched Vincent.
He was angry. Pacing. Waving his hands.
But Chloe had spent years watching rich men lie to their wives over expensive dinners. She knew the subtle tells.
Vincent’s expensive shoes were immaculate, but there was a faint smear of gray ash on the cuff of his trousers.
Cigar ash.
The same distinct, sweet-smelling Cuban cigar smoke that had clung to the green jacket of the shooter at The Brass Lantern.
Vincent stopped pacing and looked at Chloe.
"Who is this girl? Why is she still here?"
"She's my insurance," Dominic said smoothly.
"She's a liability," Vincent growled. "Send her away, Dom. You have a war to plan."
Chloe stepped forward, her heart pounding in her throat.
"Mr. Moretti," she said, looking directly at Vincent. "You smoke Cohibas. Don't you?"
Vincent froze. "What?"
"The man who tried to shoot Dominic at the restaurant," Chloe said, her voice shaking but clear. "He smelled exactly like you do right now. Sweet tobacco and leather."
Silence slammed into the room.
Vincent let out a harsh laugh. "Are you listening to a waitress now, Dominic?"
Dominic didn't laugh.
He looked at his uncle's cuff. Then he looked at his uncle's eyes.
"Where were you last night at 1:00 AM, Uncle?" Dominic asked, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper.
"I was at my club! You know this!"
"Leo," Dominic said.
Leo moved faster than a man his size should be able to, disarming Vincent’s guards before they even realized they were under attack.
"You sold me out," Dominic said, standing up despite his wound. "You gave them the blueprints."
"You wouldn't share the port!" Vincent screamed, his mask slipping. "You were ruining the family!"
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"I am the family," Dominic corrected softly.
He nodded to Leo. "Take him to the basement."
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