Chapter 6 - The Trap is Sprung
Two weeks later.
Though Matthew had been stripped of his corporate crown, the battle was far from over.
Arthur Rivers, desperate to save his failing hedge fund from total bankruptcy after Johnny froze his maritime shipping routes, had allied himself with a ruthless rival crime syndicate based out of Philadelphia—the Moretti crime family.
Inside a hidden, smoke-filled private room at an exclusive club in Brooklyn, Arthur Rivers sat across from Marco Moretti, a notorious mob captain with a long history of violence.
"Thorne has taken over Hayes Global," Arthur said nervously, pushing a briefcase containing five hundred thousand dollars in cash across the table. "He’s distracted right now. He’s spending all his time at his private estate taking care of his mistress and her newborn bastard."
Marco Moretti chuckled darkly, running his scarred thumbs over the stacks of bills. "Johnny Thorne thinks he owns New York because he controls the docks. He’s gotten soft. A woman and a baby... that makes a strong man weak."
"Can you eliminate him?" Arthur asked, his voice trembling with desperation. "If Thorne dies, his empire falls into chaos. My shipping routes open back up, and Matthew can reclaim his corporate assets!"
Marco leaned forward, his dark eyes glittering with predatory greed. "We don't need to attack Thorne directly at his estate. The place is a fortress. We hit him where he’s vulnerable."
"Where?"
"Tomorrow morning, the baby has a mandatory pediatric checkup at the private medical clinic on 5th Avenue," Marco revealed, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Thorne's security will be tight, but they won't expect a full-scale tactical strike in broad daylight in midtown Manhattan. We seize the woman and the kid. Once we have them, Thorne will hand over his shipping empire on a silver platter just to keep them breathing."
Arthur smiled wickedly. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
What neither Arthur nor Marco knew was that every single word spoken in that private room was being transmitted in real-time through a hidden micro-receiver concealed inside the brass chandelier above their heads.
Three miles away, inside the master study of the Thorne Estate, Johnny sat behind his heavy desk, wearing a dark turtleneck and wireless headphones.
Vance stood beside him, holding a high-resolution map of 5th Avenue.
"They're taking the bait, boss," Vance reported with a cold grin. "Marco Moretti has assembled twelve men. They plan to ambush the medical convoy at 10:00 AM tomorrow."
Johnny pulled off the headphones, setting them down on his desk. His face was entirely devoid of emotion, but his eyes glowed with a terrifying, predatory calm.
"Marco always was an idiot," Johnny said softly. "He thinks because I love a woman, I've forgotten how to fight a war."
"Should we cancel the appointment for Elise and the baby?" Vance asked.
"No," Johnny replied, standing up and walking toward the grand window overlooking the city lights. "Elise and Clara will remain completely safe inside the estate's panic shelter tomorrow morning. We will use armored proxy vehicles for the convoy."
May you like
Johnny turned back to Vance, his dark trench coat draped over his arm.
"Marco and Arthur want a war in Manhattan," Johnny said smoothly, a dark, lethal smile spreading across his face. "Let's give them an execution."
