Chapter 10
The freezing night air felt crisp and clean as Alexander stepped out onto the porch of the suburban house, leaving the bright, suffocating kitchen behind. The private medical transport van was already pulling out of the driveway, carrying Sarah to the secure clinic where her leg would be treated by the syndicate's top surgeons.
Alexander walked slowly toward his heavily armored, sleek black SUV idling at the curb. The perimeter was entirely secured by his men, their dark figures blending seamlessly into the shadows of the quiet neighborhood.
The rear door of the SUV opened as he approached, and he slid comfortably into the plush leather interior. The cabin was warm and silent, entirely soundproofed against the outside world.
Emma was curled up securely in the far corner of the spacious back seat, wrapped tightly in a thick cashmere blanket. The little girl had stopped crying, but her wide, innocent eyes still held the residual terror of the evening's violence.
"Is Mommy okay?" Emma whispered fearfully as her grandfather settled into the seat beside her.
"Mommy is going to be perfectly fine, little bird," Alexander murmured softly, the terrifying Mafia boss completely vanishing, replaced entirely by the devoted, fiercely protective grandfather. He reached out and gently stroked her hair. "The doctors are going to fix her leg, and she is going to be as good as new."
"Is Daddy coming with us?" Emma asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"No," Alexander stated firmly. "Your father had an accident. He has to go away for a very long time to get better. He won't be coming back to the house."
Emma seemed to process this information for a long moment. She pulled the cashmere blanket tighter around her small shoulders and leaned carefully against Alexander's arm. "I'm glad," she whispered honestly.
Alexander’s jaw tightened, a fresh wave of cold fury surging through him at the realization of how deeply the fear had been ingrained in his granddaughter. But he forced his expression to remain warm and comforting.
"You never have to be afraid again, Emma," Alexander promised quietly, his arm wrapping securely around her. "You and Mommy are going to live with me now. In the big house in the city. Nobody will ever hurt you there."
"With the big garden?" Emma asked, a tiny spark of hope finally entering her voice.
"With the biggest garden you've ever seen," Alexander smiled gently.
He tapped the privacy glass dividing the front cab from the back. The driver immediately put the heavy SUV into gear, and they began to roll smoothly down the quiet suburban street, leaving the nightmare behind them.
The encrypted phone resting in the center console suddenly buzzed. Alexander picked it up, glancing at the caller ID. It was Marcus, his head of security.
He tapped the screen to accept the call, holding the phone to his ear while keeping his other arm securely around Emma.
"Speak," Alexander ordered softly.
"Boss, the extraction is complete. The medical transport is en route, and the cleanup crew has secured the house," Marcus reported efficiently over the secure line. "But we have a complication."
"What kind of complication?" Alexander asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"David's firm," Marcus explained grimly. "When we seized his servers, we found heavily encrypted communication logs. He wasn't just being abusive, Boss. He was actively selling your shipping manifests to the federal task force. He was building an immunity deal to testify against you."
Alexander went completely still. David hadn't just broken his daughter's leg; he had attempted to dismantle the syndicate.
"Is the task force moving?" Alexander asked, his voice dropping to a lethal, icy whisper.
"Intelligence suggests they are preparing to raid the port warehouses by sunrise," Marcus confirmed. "They think they have the element of surprise."
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Alexander looked down at his sleeping granddaughter. The war for the city was far from over. It was only just beginning.
"Assemble the heavy teams, Marcus," Alexander commanded, his eyes turning to cold, unforgiving steel. "We are going to the docks. It's time to teach the feds what happens when they rely on a coward's intel."
