Chapter 9
Domenico rose slowly from his heavy leather chair. He buttoned the center button of his tailored suit jacket, his movements incredibly fluid and precise. He walked around the massive oak desk, his polished shoes clicking sharply against the stone floor. He stopped in front of the kneeling, weeping man.
Conrad looked up, his fair face twisted in pure agony. "Domenico, we are blood. We grew up together. You can't kill me."
"I am not going to kill you, Conrad," Domenico said quietly.
Conrad let out a massive, shuddering breath of relief. He slumped forward, pressing his forehead against the stone floor. "Thank you. Oh, God, thank you, Dom. I swear to you, I will vanish. You will never see me again."
"You are correct," Domenico agreed, his voice devoid of any warmth. "You are going to vanish. But you are not going to die. Death is a mercy you have not earned."
Domenico looked toward the heavy mahogany door. "Marcus."
The door swung open instantly, and the senior capo stepped inside, accompanied by two massive bodyguards.
"Take his phone, his wallet, and his watch," Domenico instructed, his tone brisk and entirely businesslike. "Liquidate every asset in his name. Drain his bank accounts, seize his properties, and transfer the titles of his vehicles to the family trust. By midnight, Conrad Ravello is to be a ghost."
Conrad froze, lifting his head. "Dom... what are you doing?"
"I am erasing you," Domenico said, his cold eyes locking onto his cousin. "You will be driven to the state line and left with the clothes on your back. Your wife and your son will be sent a generous severance and relocated to the Midwest. They will be told you abandoned them for a mistress. If you ever attempt to contact them, or if you ever step foot in my city again, I will not be the one who finds you. The Rossis will."
"You can't do that!" Conrad shrieked, panic gripping him as the bodyguards grabbed his arms and hauled him roughly to his feet. "The Rossis will kill me if they find out I lost the port! You're handing me a death sentence!"
"I am handing you the exact life you negotiated for," Domenico replied smoothly. "Take him."
The bodyguards dragged the screaming, thrashing man out of the study, his frantic cries echoing down the subterranean hallway until the heavy door clicked shut.
Domenico turned his attention to Miriam. The older woman was hyperventilating in her chair, clutching her pearl necklace so tightly the string threatened to snap.
"Miriam," Domenico said softly.
"I will leave," Miriam blurted out, her voice trembling violently. "I will pack my bags tonight. I will go to the villa in Sicily. I will never speak against you or your son again, Domenico. I swear on my life."
Domenico stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. The silence was absolute.
"The flight leaves at 4:00 AM," Domenico finally whispered. "If you miss it, you will join Conrad at the state line."
May you like
Miriam nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face as she scrambled out of her chair and fled the room.
Domenico stood alone in the study. The cancer in his family had been violently, surgically removed. He took a deep breath, adjusting his cuffs, and prepared to return to the only person in the world who mattered.
