Chapter 6 - The Ransom
The ransom demand arrived exactly four hours later, delivered via an encrypted burner phone left at the estate’s front gate.
Alessandro stood in his war room, surrounded by maps of the city and his most trusted lieutenants, listening to the distorted voice on the speaker.
“We have the girl, Moretti,” the voice sneered, dripping with arrogant confidence.
“You pull your men out of the South Side territory by midnight tonight, and you sign over the shipping docks, or the kid disappears.”
“You don't want a war over a maid’s brat.”
The silence in the war room was suffocating. Every man in the room was waiting for Alessandro’s explosive reaction.
But Alessandro didn't yell; he didn't throw anything. He remained completely, terrifyingly still.
“Put the child on the phone,” Alessandro demanded softly, his voice colder than ice.
There was a pause, a shuffle of movement, and then a small, trembling voice echoed through the speaker.
“Mommy?” Emma cried, her voice echoing with absolute terror. “I want my mommy.”
Alessandro closed his eyes, his jaw clenching so tightly his teeth ached, the sound of her fear twisting a knife deep in his gut.
“Emma, it’s Alessandro,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle and steady.
“Are you hurt?”
“No,” she whimpered. “But the bad men yelled at me. And I miss Bruno.”
“I know, little one,” Alessandro replied. “I am coming to get you. I promise.”
The phone was violently snatched away, and the distorted voice returned.
“Midnight, Moretti. No cops, no tricks.”
The line went dead.
Marco looked at his boss, his face grim. “What are your orders, sir? Do we surrender the territory?”
“We surrender nothing,” Alessandro stated, opening his eyes, the dark fury within them completely unmasked.
“They are holding her in the old meatpacking plant on 42nd Street.”
Marco looked shocked. “How do you know that? They masked the signal.”
Alessandro pointed to the audio recording playing on the computer screen.
“Listen closely to the background noise when the child was speaking,” he commanded.
Marco leaned in, listening intently. Behind Emma’s quiet sobs, there was a distinct, rhythmic clanking sound, followed by a heavy mechanical thud.
“That’s the old industrial refrigeration compressor,” Alessandro explained. “There is only one abandoned plant in the city that still uses that specific model.”
“I owned that building ten years ago before I sold it to the Rossis.”
He turned to his men, his presence dominating the entire room, radiating a deadly, focused energy.
“Gather the assault teams. Heavy weapons, full tactical gear,” Alessandro ordered.
“We don't negotiate. We don't breach and clear.”
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He walked over to a heavy metal cabinet, pulling out a massive, fully automatic assault rifle, checking the magazine with practiced efficiency.
“We go in, and we leave absolutely no one alive.”
