Chapter 3 - The Price of Silence
Miller slowly withdrew his hand, holding it open in a gesture of false surrender. His two companions remained perfectly still, their hands resting near their hips.
"Let's look at this mathematically, Vincent," Miller said, using the mob boss's first name like an old acquaintance. "You run Chicago's south side. You pay off the eighth precinct, you control the distribution networks at the rail yards, and you live a very comfortable life. Why throw that away for the daughter of a cleaning woman? Hector Martinez is already in our custody. He will sign whatever waiver we need. The girl is a loose end. Hand her over, and the Caruso organization receives a lifetime exemption from federal scrutiny."
Vincent let out a short, humorless laugh. "A lifetime exemption from the people who poison women in front of their kids? Your word is worth less than the rain outside, Miller."
"Then consider the alternative," Miller said, his eyes narrowing. "If we don't walk out of here with the girl and the bag within ten minutes, the local authorities will receive an anonymous tip regarding a massive weapons cache in your warehouse on 4th Street. The National Guard will be deployed before midnight. Your empire will be dismantled brick by brick."
Vincent lowered his gun slightly, but his finger remained on the trigger. "You think you're the first person to threaten my business? I built this empire on the bones of men who thought they were too big to fail. Marco!"
The lieutenant's voice came over the internal intercom behind the bar. "Yeah, Boss?"
"Call the dockworkers. Tell them to clear out the 4th Street warehouse and move the crates to the secondary location. Then call Judge Vance. Tell him if he doesn't issue an immediate injunction against any federal warrants in the district within the next twenty minutes, the photographs in Sophia’s bag will be on the front page of the Tribune."
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Miller’s face finally hardened. The smooth, academic mask slipped, revealing the cold calculations of a professional killer. "You don't know the scope of what's in that bag, Caruso. It's not just local corruption. It's the national architecture."
"Then I guess I'm expanding my territory," Vincent said. "Get out of my restaurant."
