Chapter 4 - The Elgin Strike
The rain fell in relentless sheets over the industrial district of Elgin, Illinois.
Victor Moretti’s primary stronghold was a converted meatpacking plant—a massive, concrete monstrosity surrounded by razor wire, security cameras, and armed sentries. It served as the central storage hub for Moretti’s illegal narcotics and unregistered weaponry.
At 2:00 AM, the plant's main power grid suddenly failed.
The floodlights died instantly, plunging the concrete compound into absolute blackness. Emergency generators clicked on five seconds later, but before the security team could react, three heavy armored SUVs smashed through the reinforced front gates.
Alarm sirens blared through the storm.
Moretti’s guards rushed into the central courtyard, weapons drawn, but they were met with precision sniper fire from the perimeter trees. Marcus Vance, stationed on a nearby water tower, systematically took out the roof sentries with suppressed rounds.
Inside the main warehouse floor, three men stood in the dark.
Adrian stepped into the dim beam of an emergency floodlight, wearing a black tactical suit, an automatic pistol held low at his side. Beside him stood Titan, the massive dog’s black coat blending perfectly into the shadows, his chest rumbling with an intimidating, subsonic vibration.
A dozen of Moretti’s men backed away, their flashlights shaking as they caught sight of the legendary black beast.
"It's Cole!" one guard screamed. "Fire!"
Before a trigger could be pulled, Titan launched forward like an artillery shell.
The dog moved with terrifying speed, clearing twenty feet in a single bound. He slammed into the lead guard, knocking him backward into a row of steel shelving. The sound of snapping bones and screaming echoed through the cavernous room as Titan executed his combat training with terrifying efficiency, disarming men before they could aim.
Adrian moved right behind him, firing controlled double-taps that neutralized the remaining threats with clinical precision.
In less than ninety seconds, the main warehouse floor was secured. Eleven guards lay disarmed or unconscious on the concrete floor.
Adrian walked past the carnage, stepping into the inner office suite at the back of the building.
Sitting behind a heavy steel desk, holding a shaking revolver, was Dominic Moretti—Victor’s younger brother and the operational commander of the Elgin facility.
"Cole!" Dominic stammered, backing his chair against the wall. "You're crazy! This is a violation of the Commission's peace treaty! My brother will wipe your family off the map for this!"
Adrian walked over to the desk, completely unbothered by the gun pointed at his chest. He reached out, grabbed the barrel of Dominic’s revolver, and twisted it out of the man's grip with effortless strength, snapping Dominic’s wrist in the process.
Dominic howled in pain, collapsing onto his knees.
Adrian grabbed Dominic by his collar, dragging him across the desk and slamming him face-first onto the wooden floor. Titan trotted into the office, placing one massive, heavy paw on Dominic’s back, pinning him to the floor with three hundred pounds of pressure.
"Where are my brother’s journals, Dominic?" Adrian asked, his voice low and deathly calm.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Dominic gasped, struggling for air under Titan’s weight.
Adrian leaned down, his face inches from Dominic’s. "Julian Cole kept private ledgers detailing every asset held by the syndicate. When Sarah was taken six months ago, Victor took those ledgers from her property. Where are they?"
Dominic swallowed hard, looking up at the terrifying dog growling inches from his ear. "In... in the floor safe under the rug. Code is 8-8-4-1!"
Marcus entered the room, kneeling down to strip back the Persian rug. He dialed the combination into the wall safe and swung the heavy door open. Inside rested a stack of leather journals, marked with the Cole family crest, alongside a series of sealed legal documents.
Marcus scanned the top page, his eyes widening. "Boss... these are the original deeds to the Illinois transport corridor. Sarah signed them over, but the signature is dated two weeks after her medical examiner's official date of death."
"A forgery," Adrian said coldly. "Victor murdered Sarah, forged her signature to claim the land, and tried to hunt down her daughter to eliminate any legitimate challenge to the estate."
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Adrian looked down at Dominic. "Tell your brother that Don Cole has his ledgers. And tell him the Commission meeting tomorrow afternoon is no longer a tribunal."
Adrian paused, his eyes burning with absolute malice. "It's an execution."
