Chapter 4 - The Narrows LedgerThe underground parking garage beneath the Moretti estate was brightly lit, smelling of exhaust fumes and damp concrete.
Liam Sullivan—a greasy, expensively dressed middle-man with slicked-back dark hair and a gold chain around his neck—was shoved roughly against a concrete pillar by two of Roman’s enforcers. Beside him, trembling like a leaf in a gale, stood Ben.
Ben’s face was bruised along the jaw, his cheap jacket torn at the pocket. When he saw Norah walk into the garage behind Roman Moretti, he cried out.
"Norah! Oh, God, Nora, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"Shut up, Ben," Norah hissed, rushing forward, but Roman’s heavy hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.
Roman walked slowly toward Liam Sullivan. He didn't look angry; he looked dangerously bored. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a thick wad of cash held together by a rubber band, and tossed it onto the hood of a parked Mercedes.
"Eight hundred dollars," Roman said softly. "The remainder of the principal."
Sullivan swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously to the armed men surrounding him. "Mr. Moretti... I didn't know the kid’s sister worked for you. Swear to God, if I’d known—"
"You wouldn't have bothered him," Roman finished for him. "Because you know better than to fish in my waters. But you did. You used inside information provided by a compromised housekeeper to infiltrate my courtyard."
"It was just a prank! A scare tactic!" Sullivan stammered, raising his hands.
"My courtyard is not a playground, Sullivan," Roman said, his voice dropping into that terrifying, flat register. He turned his head slightly toward Dante. "Take Sullivan’s operation on the West Side. Every table, every runner, every book. Transfer the titles to my holding company by morning. And if I ever see him within three miles of the Loop again, throw him in the river."
"No, please! Mr. Moretti, have mercy!" Sullivan screamed as Dante’s men hauled him away toward the dark exit ramps.
Ben collapsed against the pillar, sliding down until he sat in a puddle of oil and water, his head in his hands.
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Norah broke away from Roman’s grip and ran to her brother, dropping to her knees in the dirt. "Ben! Are you stupid? What were you thinking?"
"I was desperate, Nora," Ben wept, his voice cracking. "I lost at the tables, and they said they'd hurt you if I didn't help them find out about the cameras..."
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