Chapter 5 - Shadows on the Perimeter
Two weeks after Paul Castellano’s quiet removal, the estate had settled into a new, vigilant routine.
The perimeter security had been doubled. New steel gates were installed at the side service entrance, and Marcus Ellery personally vetted every vendor, delivery driver, and maintenance worker who set foot within a mile of the property lines.
Yet, despite the heightened security, Vincent knew that the removal of his cousin was merely the pruning of a single rot branch. The root of the problem—the Moretti syndicate in New Orleans—remained active, waiting to see how the Castellano family would react to the sudden void left in their riverboat management structure.
Vincent sat in his office, reviewing the balance sheets for the casino boats. The loss of Paul had created an administrative vacuum, but it had also revealed the full extent of the syndicate's reach into the riverfront operations.
A quiet knock sounded at his door.
"Come," Vincent called out.
Marcus entered, his face grim. He held a leather-bound logbook in his hand.
"We picked up a scout on the north road an hour ago," Marcus said, stepping up to the desk. "He was sitting in a parked sedan with long-range optics, taking photographs of the north perimeter cottage."
Vincent’s eyes darkened instantly. "Camille’s cottage?"
"Yes," Marcus confirmed. "The car was registered to a shell company controlled by Dominic Moretti."
Vincent stood up slowly, resting his hands heavily on the mahogany desktop. The quiet calm that had filled him over the past fortnight evaporated into an icy, dangerous fury.
"Moretti is testing me," Vincent said, his voice dangerously low. "He knows Paul failed. He knows I sliced his insider out of the equation, so now he is looking for leverage. He thinks he can target the child."
"The cottage isn't fully secured yet," Marcus warned. "The security cameras and perimeter sensors won't be operational until Thursday."
"Move Camille and Adeline back into the main house immediately," Vincent ordered flatly. "Assign two dedicated guards to watch them twenty-four hours a day. If a stranger so much as looks at that child through a pair of binoculars, I want him brought to me in chains."
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"Understood," Marcus said, turning to leave.
"Marcus," Vincent added, stopping him in his tracks. "Call a meeting of the parish captains for tomorrow night. It’s time we reminded New Orleans who rules the river."
