Chapter 4 - The Midnight Council of Vipers
The chime of the clock faded into the heavy rain.
I crept through the stone shaft behind the dining room’s limestone fireplace.
Through the carved iron filigree of the mantel, I could see the entire hall.
The six syndicate captains were seated around the massive mahogany table.
Old men with weathered faces and diamond pinky rings.
Younger wolves with cold eyes and tailored suits.
Rossi sat at the far right.
His jaw was clenched tight.
He hadn't touched his glass of wine.
Caroline sat at the head of the table.
She held an embroidered lace handkerchief to her eyes.
A masterclass in theater.
Marcus stood behind her, resting a heavy hand on the high back of her chair.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice, gentlemen,” Marcus began.
His voice was solemn, perfectly mimicking the tone of a grieving lieutenant.
“As you all know from the news… Ethan is gone.”
A heavy silence descended over the table.
Captain Rossi leaned forward, his hands flat on the polished wood.
“I want to see the body, Marcus,” Rossi demanded coldly.
Marcus sighed, shaking his head.
“There was no body, Antonio,” Marcus said softly.
“The car bomb was packed with thermite. Nothing survived the heat.”
Caroline let out a soft, shuddering sob into her handkerchief.
It was almost convincing.
If I hadn't heard her plotting my murder twenty minutes ago, I would have
believed her.
“Ethan was like a brother to me,” Marcus continued, his voice rising with
emotion.
“He built this empire. But an empire without a head will collapse into war.”
“Which is why,” Marcus added, looking around the table, “Caroline has signed
over Ethan’s executive power of attorney to me.”
Rossi sneered.
“The ink on his death certificate isn't even dry, Marcus,” Rossi snapped.
“And you’re already crowning yourself king?”
“I am preserving what Ethan died for!” Marcus barked back, slamming his hand
onto the table.
The crystal glasses rattled.
Four armed men stepped out from the shadows near the dining room doors.
Their hands rested casually on their holstered weapons.
The other five captains shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
They smelled the trap.
They knew Marcus had the tactical advantage inside this house.
“We vote on the succession,” an older captain named Moretti said quietly.
“That is the syndicate law. That is Ethan’s law.”
Caroline lowered her handkerchief.
Her eyes were completely dry.
The grief was gone, replaced by a cold, arrogant smirk.
“Ethan’s law died in Chicago, Moretti,” she said.
Her voice had no warmth.
No hesitation.
“This organization needs strength. Not nostalgic old men clinging to a dead
man’s memory.”
Rossi stood up violently, kicking his chair back.
“You treacherous bitch,” Rossi hissed.
“You were sleeping with Marcus before Ethan’s jet even took off!”
Marcus drew his weapon in a fluid motion.
He pointed the barrel directly at Rossi’s chest.
“Sit down, Antonio,” Marcus warned, his finger curling around the trigger.
“Or you won't leave this room on your feet.”
Inside the fireplace shaft, my finger rested on the trigger of my suppressed
pistol.
I had the crosshairs lined up directly with Marcus’s temple.
I could drop him right now.
One shot.
One clean hole through his ear.
But that was too easy.
A quick death was mercy.
Marcus didn't deserve mercy.
He deserved to watch his entire world crumble before he took his last breath.
I reached for the remote detonator on my tactical belt.
I didn't blow the house.
I triggered the secondary power breaker.
SNAP.
Every light in the mansion died simultaneously.
The room plunged into pitch-black darkness.
Panic exploded around the dining table.
“Kill the doors!” Marcus shouted.
“Nobody leaves!”
Muzzle flashes illuminated the dark as someone fired blindly toward the ceiling.
Chairs overturned.
Glass shattered across the marble floor.
In the darkness, I whispered through the intercom speaker hidden inside the
grand fireplace.
My voice echoed through the room like a ghost rising from an unmarked grave.
“Did you miss me, Marcus?”
The firing stopped instantly.
Total, suffocating silence fell over the room.
May you like
Through the darkness, I heard Caroline’s sharp intake of breath.
“Ethan…?” she whispered, her voice trembling with absolute terror.
