Chapter 8 - The Counter-Strike
While the decoy convoy led Vincent’s spotters into a pre-arranged tactical zone five miles south, Adrien personally led a strike force to secure the secondary safe house where the operative coordinating the local surveillance was hiding.
The location was an abandoned boathouse along the Lake Forest shoreline, three miles north of Adrien’s estate. Marco’s team breached the wooden doors under the cover of tactical smoke, overwhelming the three armed operatives inside before they could fire a single shot.
Adrien stepped into the damp boathouse, his heavy boots echoing against the wet timber floors. Bound to a chair in the center of the room was the lead coordinator—a high-ranking lieutenant from New York named Dominick.
"Adrien..." Dominick gasped, coughing through the fading smoke. "You were supposed to be in that ambulance!"
"You made a critical error, Dominick," Adrien said, walking up to him with quiet, terrifying authority. "You targeted my home. You made my children cry."
"It was just business!" Dominick yelled, struggling against his zip-ties. "Vincent wants the Chicago port contracts! He said you wouldn't fight back!"
Adrien pulled a sleek black smartphone from his pocket and dialed a number on speakerphone. After two rings, an older, raspy voice answered.
"Adrien?" the voice of Vincent Moretti sounded through the speaker. "Is it done?"
"It’s done, Uncle," Adrien said smoothly. "Your surveillance team is captured. Dominick is sitting in front of me. And your access to Chicago is permanently terminated."
Silence hung on the line for several seconds before Vincent chuckled darkly. "You think capturing a few soldiers changes anything, Adrien? You’re sitting in that giant house all alone with three motherless babies. You can't protect them forever."
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"I don't have to protect them forever," Adrien replied coldly. "I only have to eliminate every threat that comes near them. Starting with your operations in Illinois tonight."
Adrien ended the call and tossed the phone to Marco. "Clean this up. Secure the docks. Let every family in the country know what happens when they look toward Lake Forest."
