Chapter 13 - The Crown at the Lion's Table)
Five bosses sat around Lorenzo Moretti's dining table on Founders' Night.
Celeste Vescari represented Brooklyn. Anton Baresi came from the Bronx, the Chen brothers from Queens, and old Patrick Doyle from Staten Island. Daniel sat beneath his father's portrait. Vincent occupied the counselor's chair at his right.
Maria and Sofia were supposed to be twenty miles away in a guarded apartment. Instead, they hid in the mansion's old chapel with Eleanor and Mrs. Bell. Daniel trusted no road after the warehouse. Maria had agreed only because the chapel's secret passage opened beyond the estate wall.
On the table before each boss lay a copy of Crowne Meridian's accounts.
Daniel did not begin with accusation. He began with confession.
"My routes carried human beings in locked containers," he said. "My signatures protected the men who sold them. I did not authorize it, but my ignorance does not clean my name. Tonight the routes close. The accounts will fund restitution. Anyone who objects may do so before I finish speaking."
No one moved.
Vincent folded his hands. "A noble speech. Unfortunately, nobility does not repay two billion dollars in obligations."
Daniel looked at him. "You know the amount."
"It is in the ledger."
"Not in the pages I gave you."
Silence sharpened.
Vincent smiled without warmth. "So this is a trial."
"No. Trials allow doubt."
Julian entered with the original ledger and projected authorization records onto the wall. Vincent's codes appeared beside shipments, payments, forged orders, and the transfer to Rocco. The last screen showed the private archive access used to manufacture Daniel's voice.
Vincent remained seated.
"Lorenzo built Crow's Crown," he said. "Your father understood that old businesses die unless they learn new appetites. Matteo threatened everything. You inherited an empire and spent five years pretending rules made you moral."
"Where is my brother?"
"Still the only question that matters to you."
"Answer it."
"Matteo reached the pier. He discovered Lorenzo had chosen you to survive. He was offered a place beside us and refused. After that, I stopped asking what happened to him."
"You expect me to believe you do not know?"
"I expect you to understand that uncertainty hurts more."
Daniel signaled the guards.
Half raised weapons toward Vincent.
The other half raised weapons toward Daniel.
Vincent stood. "Every crown needs a vote."
The ballroom doors opened. Men wearing Crow's Crown marks entered from the service hall. Patrick Doyle cursed. Celeste reached beneath the table. The lights cut out before anyone fired.
Emergency shutters sealed the windows. Gas hissed through the ventilation grates.
Daniel overturned the table and shouted for everyone to stay low. He had anticipated a coup, but not gas. He pressed the alarm to the chapel. No response.
Gunfire flashed in the darkness. Daniel struck one attacker with the table's broken leg, took his weapon, and fired toward the service door. Celeste's guards forced open a window shutter. Cold air rushed in, thinning the gas.
Vincent disappeared.
Daniel ran to the chapel.
The room was empty. Eleanor and Mrs. Bell lay unconscious but breathing. Maria's spare pistol rested near the altar. The secret passage stood open.
On the stone floor, Sofia's pink bow had been pinned beneath a silver knife.
The mansion speaker crackled.
Vincent's voice filled every corridor. "Winter garden, Daniel. Bring the ledger and come alone."
Daniel found Maria near the lower stairs. A cut marked her forehead.
"He took Sofia," she said. "Two guards came through the passage wearing your colors. I followed them, but Vincent caught me at the old elevator."
"Are you hurt?"
"Does it matter?"
"To me."
She looked at him, surprised by the naked answer.
Daniel handed her the pistol from the dining room. "The west passage opens behind the winter garden."
"He will expect that."
"He expects me to choose between you and Sofia."
"Which will you choose?"
"Both."
They separated at the corridor. Daniel carried the ledger openly toward the garden doors while Maria descended into the service tunnels.
Through the glass, he saw Sofia standing beside the fountain. Gasoline shone across the marble. Vincent waited behind her with a pistol and a remote trigger.
"Uncle Daniel," Sofia called.
It was the first time she had used the name.
Daniel stepped inside.
The doors locked behind him.
Vincent looked at the ledger. "At last, the little family is complete."
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Then he pressed the first button on the remote.
An explosion rolled beneath the mansion.
