Chapter 10 - Betrayal Wears a Family Name
By Sunday afternoon, the fallout from Pier 9 had reached a boiling point. Thomas Dixon was desperate. Bankrupted, hunted by both Larkin's loyalists and angry cartel leaders demanding their lost funds, Thomas made his final, reckless move.
He leaked forged syndicate documents to the federal task force and summoned an emergency summit of the Five Families at the old industrial foundry on the city's outskirts. He claimed Larkin was unstable, compromising syndicate operations for the sake of an ordinary secretary, and demanded a vote of no confidence to take the Don's seat by force.
Inside the penthouse, Larkin's secure phone rang continuously. Capos were panicking. Syndicate lieutenants were demanding answers.
"They're gathering at the foundry," Larkin said, checking his tactical harness and chambering a round into his sidearm. "Thomas wants a bloodbath. If the Five Families side with him, this city burns."
Penelope stood up from her command station on the kitchen island. She wore a tailored black trench coat over dark slacks, her hair pulled back into a sharp ponytail.
"They won't side with him," Penelope stated coolly.
Larkin turned to look at her, frowning. "You are staying here. The safehouse is completely fortified."
"I am the only one holding the forensic financial records that prove Thomas stole from every single one of those Five Families, not just you," Penelope replied, tapping an encrypted flash drive. "You go in with guns, you get a civil war. You go in with me and the truth, you win before a single shot is fired."
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Larkin looked at the fierce determination in her eyes and knew there was no keeping her in the shadows anymore.
"Then we end this together," Larkin said.
