Chapter 7 - THE SETTING OF THE TRAP
The morning before the syndicate council meeting was unnaturally calm. The rain had stopped, leaving behind a thick, dense fog that rolled off the harbor and blanketed the grounds of the estate in a shroud of white cotton.
By ten in the morning, Dante’s inner circle had assembled in the basement tactical room beneath the main house.
The room was concrete, windowless, and illuminated by humming fluorescent lights. A large blueprint of the estate’s boathouse was pinned to the central corkboard.
Present in the room were Dante, Nonna Castellano, Leo, and me. Titan sat beside my chair, wearing a heavy tactical harness I had custom-fitted with foam padding around his stitches.
“VIPER’s plan is simple,” Dante said, pointing a silver pen at the blueprint. “At nine o'clock tonight, Marco will take four men and disable the main gate security feed. They will use the storm recovery chaos as cover. They expect Rosalind to be in the gatehouse alone with Marcus.”
“They will bring a syringe of lethal sedative for the dog,” Nonna added from her seat, her old hands folded neatly over her silver-headed cane. “Marco is too much of a coward to face Titan in a fair fight. He will try to drug the animal, cut the chip out on the spot, and burn the gatehouse to erase the evidence.”
“Except we won't be in the gatehouse,” I said, looking up from my notes.
“No,” Dante said, his gray eyes turning to me. “Marcus will be moved to a safe house in upstate New York at four o'clock today under Leo’s personal escort. By six, the gatehouse will be empty.”
“And where will I be?” I asked.
Dante walked to the corkboard and tapped the image of the boathouse—a decaying timber structure sitting on stilts over the deep water at the south edge of the property.
“You and Titan will be in the boathouse,” Dante said. “We will leave a trail of deliberate security failures indicating that you fled there with the dog after discovering Marco’s plot. Marco will think he has cornered you.”
“You’re using yourself as cheese in a mousetrap, girl,” Nonna said, her sharp eyes scanning my face for any sign of panic. “Are you sure your nerves can hold?”
I looked at my reflection in the dark monitor on the wall. Six weeks ago, I was crying over a revoked veterinary license in a cramped apartment. Today, I was planning an ambush against a faction of the Italian mafia.
“My nerves are fine, Nonna,” I said calmly. “Just make sure Leo gets my brother across state lines safely.”
“He has my word as a Castellano,” Nonna said, bowing her head slightly.
Dante stepped closer to me, handing me a small, metallic device no larger than a key fob. It had a single red button in the center.
“This is a local frequency trigger,” Dante explained. “The boathouse is equipped with remote magnetic locks on the upper doors. The second Marco and his men step inside, you press this button. The doors will seal shut, cutting off their exit.”
“And then?” I asked.
“And then,” Dante’s voice lowered, turning dark and sharp as shattered glass, “Titan and I will show my cousin what happens to traitors in this family.”
I took the small metallic device and slipped it into my apron pocket.
“There’s one problem with your plan,” I said.
Dante frowned slightly. “What problem?”
“Marco isn't the real danger,” I said, looking him in the eye. “VIPER is. Marco is just his executioner. If you capture Marco in the boathouse, VIPER will simply deny all knowledge of the plot during the council meeting tomorrow night. He will claim Marco acted alone, sacrifice his own nephew, and still demand the family charter.”
Dante stared at me, his jaw tightening. “Go on.”
“If you want to eliminate VIPER completely,” I said, leaning forward, “you need VIPER in that boathouse with him. You need him on camera, giving the order to execute us.”
Nonna Castellano let out a low, croaking laugh of pure satisfaction. “The girl has more steel in her spine than half my line, Dante. She’s right.”
Dante looked at me for a long, silent moment. The coldness in his eyes softened, replaced by something deep, intense, and unmistakably fierce.
“How do we draw VIPER out of his study?” Dante asked.
May you like
I smiled—a small, dark smile.
“We tell him the chip is already decaying,” I said. “We make him think Titan is dying.”
