Chapter 8 - THE REMOVAL OF THE VIPERS
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Two federal marshals and four Moretti enforcers stepped into the dining hall through the grand terrace doors.
The cold night wind rushed into the room, fluttering the heavy velvet curtains and extinguishing several beeswax candles.
Special Agent Miller, the regional director of the federal organized crime task force, walked down the center aisle holding two sets of steel handcuffs.
He looked down at Salvatore Bellini, who was still pinned against the mahogany table by Sal’s heavy hand.
“Salvatore Bellini,” Agent Miller recited with crisp, professional satisfaction.
“You are under arrest for federal extortion, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and thirty counts of money laundering.”
Sal released the older man’s arm, stepping back with calm, dignified composure.
The marshals jerked Salvatore upright, snapping the steel cuffs around his wrists with a sharp, metallic click.
Salvatore’s face was smeared with congealed sauce from the table, his silver hair wild, his eyes bulging with helpless fury.
“You’ll pay for this, Moretti!” Salvatore screamed, thrashing against the marshals’ grip.
“The Bellini family has allies in New York! You will burn for this!”
“Your allies in New York reviewed these bank files at nine o'clock tonight, Salvatore,” Luca replied, his voice colder than the grave.
“Don Falcone signed the sanction himself.”
“You are alone.”
Two agents hauled Salvatore toward the double doors, his boots dragging uselessly across the polished marble.
Then Agent Miller turned his attention to Vanessa, who was still kneeling on the floor, clutching her bleeding knees.
“Vanessa Bellini,” Miller said, pulling out a second pair of cuffs.
“You are under arrest as a primary conspirator in the unlawful concealment and exploitation of a minor.”
Vanessa looked up, her face twisted in a mask of hysterical, desperate tears.
She looked past the federal agents, past Luca, directly at the little boy sitting in the velvet armchair.
“Leo!” Vanessa shrieked, reaching out with her bloody hands.
“Tell them! Tell them Mommy loves you! Tell your father to stop!”
Leo flinched, pulling the green dinosaur tightly against his small chest, pressing his back against the velvet cushions.
He didn't reach for her.
He reached out with his small right hand, finding mine where I stood beside his chair.
His little fingers curled around my hand, seeking comfort, seeking safety from the screaming woman in red.
I stepped forward instinctively, placing my body between Leo and Vanessa’s desperate gaze, shielding the child from her venom.
Luca saw the movement.
He looked down at Vanessa with an expression of absolute, pitiless revulsion.
“Do not speak his name again, Vanessa,” Luca whispered.
“You were never his mother.”
“You were just a jailer waiting for a ransom.”
The agents seized Vanessa by her bare arms, hauling her roughly to her feet.
She kicked and screamed curses into the echoing ballroom as they dragged her down the long corridor toward the waiting transport vans outside.
Her red dress tore along the doorway, leaving a strip of torn crimson silk caught in the brass latch.
The heavy front doors of the mansion slammed shut, the sound echoing through the great hall like the final stroke of an iron gavel.
The Bellini dynasty had been completely, permanently erased in less than forty minutes.
The thirty high-society guests sat in absolute, reverent silence.
Luca slowly turned to face the room, his dark gray eyes sweeping over the frozen faces of Chicago’s elite.
“Our dinner has concluded,” Luca announced calmly.
“The staff will arrange private transportation for anyone who requires an escort.”
“Tomorrow morning, the city of Chicago operates under a single authority.”
“The Moretti family.”
The guests did not need to be told twice.
May you like
Chairs were pushed back quietly, polite bows were offered to Luca, and within five minutes, the grand ballroom was completely empty.
Only four people remained beneath the crystal chandeliers: Luca, Leo, Sal, and me.
