Chapter 3 - The Basement Confession
The basement of Bellamy House was normally used for wine storage and dry goods inventory. Tonight, it served as a very different kind of holding facility.
Julian Vance sat tied to a wooden chair beneath a flickering overhead bulb, sweating profusely in his expensive tweed suit. When Dante Moretti walked into the room, followed by Mercer and Mara, the young lawyer looked like he was about to vomit.
"Mr. Moretti—please—I swear I didn't know—" Julian stammered, pulling frantically against the heavy nylon zip-ties binding his wrists.
Dante didn't pull a weapon. He didn't yell. He simply walked up to Julian, placed both hands on the back of a nearby metal chair, and leaned in close.
"Who paid you, Julian?" Dante asked softly.
"Nobody! I swear! It was just a prank—just a sedative—to disrupt the dinner! The Outfit wanted to show you that your security has holes—"
"The Outfit doesn't target children," Dante interrupted, his voice dropping an octave into pure ice. "Not even mine. Who gave you the substance?"
Julian broke down completely, tears streaming down his face. "It was... it was Marcus Cole. He said if I slipped the drops into her drink, your attention would be diverted from the dock acquisitions tomorrow morning. He swore it wasn't lethal! Just enough to make her sick so you’d leave the restaurant!"
Lorenzo Vale, who had followed them downstairs, looked as though he had been physically struck. "Marcus Cole... the rival syndicate leader on the North Side. Julian, you absolute fool. You sold our entire firm out to a butcher."
Dante stood up slowly. He looked at Julian with profound, chilling indifference, as if the young man were already a ghost.
"Mercer," Dante said.
"Boss?"
"Pack up our things here. Tell the kitchen staff they are free to go, with a very heavy cash bonus for their silence." Dante paused, glancing back at Mara, who stood near the brick doorway clutching her apron. "And take Miss Ellis with us."
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Mara froze. "Wait—take me where? I have an apartment! I have rent to pay!"
Dante turned to look at her, the harsh basement light casting deep shadows across his face. "You saved my daughter’s life tonight, Miss Ellis. In my world, debts are paid in full. And right now, staying in this city unprotected is a death sentence for someone who knows as much as you do."
