Chapter 9 - The Fall of Julian Romano
|
Julian Romano groaned in agony on the cold warehouse floor, clutching his broken jaw as blood stained his designer shirt.
Luca stood over him like an ancient emperor passing final judgment on a traitorous cur.
“Please, Luca... we can make a deal,” Julian begged, groveling in the dirt beneath Luca’s polished shoe.
“I’ll give you all my territory on the Southside! Five million in unmarked cash right now!” Julian whimpered.
Luca looked down at him with nothing but cold, pitiless contempt.
“Your money is covered in filth, Julian, and your word isn't worth the mud on my soles,” Luca responded.
Marco stepped forward, carrying a heavy metal lockbox that had just been retrieved from Julian’s vehicle.
Inside were Julian’s personal ledgers, encrypted hard drives, and illegal shipping manifests.
“Everything is here, boss,” Marco announced with satisfaction.
“Federal extortion records, political bribery payments, and illegal weapons contracts spanning seven states,” Marco listed.
Julian’s eyes widened with utter terror as he realized what Luca intended to do.
“No... no, Luca, you don't go to the feds!” Julian shrieked in horror.
“We handle things in the streets! You can't break the omertà!” Julian cried out desperately.
Luca knelt down, grabbing Julian by his lapels and pulling his bruised face inches from his own.
“The streets are for men who fight with honor, Julian,” Luca said, his voice slicing through the cold air like a razor.
“Poisoning an old man and starving him in his own home isn't mafia business,” Luca growled.
“It’s the work of a cowardly parasite, and parasites belong in federal quarantine,” Luca told him bluntly.
The massive warehouse doors rolled open once more, revealing flashing red and blue lights.
Four black unmarked federal vehicles drove straight into the warehouse, tires splashing through the puddles.
Special Agent Miller of the Federal Bureau of Investigation stepped out, flanked by a dozen tactical agents.
Agent Miller looked at Julian Romano crumpled on the ground and then nodded respectfully toward Luca.
“We received an anonymous courier delivery an hour ago containing complete financial records of the Romano syndicate,” Miller stated.
“And it seems Mr. Romano here is caught red-handed with the physical ledgers to match,” Agent Miller observed.
Julian struggled against the mud, yelling hysterically as federal agents hauled him to his feet in heavy steel cuffs.
“He’s a mafia boss too! Arrest Luca Moretti!” Julian screamed into the rainy night.
Agent Miller smiled faintly, looking down at the legal immunity documents and business filings in his folder.
“Mr. Moretti’s businesses operate with clean accounting, Julian, while your entire life is an open indictment,” Miller replied.
“You’re going away to ADX Florence for the rest of your natural life, Romano,” the agent added firmly.
As the federal convoy drove away with the ruined boss, Luca looked up at the clearing sky.
May you like
“The outside threat is handled, Marco,” Luca said, turning back toward his black limousine.
“Now it is time to close the book on Vanessa once and for all.”
