Chapter 7 - THE FEDERAL THREAT
The heavy iron gates of the Cole estate groaned open.
A sleek black town car rolled slowly up the crushed-stone driveway.
Rainwater still glistened on the manicured lawns.
Evander stood on the grand portico, his arms crossed over his chest.
Leo was asleep upstairs under heavy armed guard.
Daisy stood a few paces behind the Don, her posture rigid.
The town car stopped at the base of the marble steps.
The rear door swung open with a crisp click.
Out stepped Arthur Sterling, the most feared defense attorney in New York.
He wore an immaculate charcoal-grey bespoke suit.
He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with deliberate slowness.
"Evander," Sterling called out, his voice smooth as polished glass.
"I hear you've been having a rather... difficult evening."
Evander did not move an inch.
"You're out of your jurisdiction, Arthur," Evander replied coldly.
"Representing a traitor like Marceline is a fatal mistake."
Sterling smiled, walking up the steps with supreme confidence.
He pulled a thick manila folder from under his arm.
"Marceline Shaw is still my client."
"And under federal law, she is entitled to immediate release."
"Furthermore," Sterling continued, tapping the folder,
"The syndicate council has initiated Article Nine."
"Emergency leadership transition due to domestic instability."
"Effective immediately, you are suspended as Don."
Daisy's breath caught in her throat.
The legal trap had been laid long before the banquet.
Marceline hadn't acted alone; she had the entire corporate wing.
Evander stared at the lawyer with chilling composure.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't reach for his gun.
"Article Nine requires a unanimous vote of all twelve capos," Evander noted.
"And how many capos signed that document, Arthur?"
Sterling's confident smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
"Ten out of twelve," the lawyer lied smoothly.
"A clear and binding majority."
Evander slowly descended the marble steps toward the lawyer.
His tall shadow engulfed the impeccably dressed man.
"Ten out of twelve?" Evander asked softly.
"That's strange, Arthur."
"Because three of those capos were found dead in Brooklyn an hour ago."
Sterling's face drained of color instantly.
The manila folder slipped slightly in his grip.
"What... what are you talking about?" Sterling stammered.
"Graham tried to execute a hostile takeover," Evander explained.
"He eliminated his own dissenters to frame me."
"And your signature on this court order?"
"Well, that makes you an accessory to kidnapping and treason."
Viktor stepped out from behind a stone pillar.
He clicked the safety off his suppressed pistol with a sharp snap.
Sterling took two instinctive steps backward toward his car.
"You can't touch me, Evander!" Sterling shouted, panic rising.
"I am an officer of the court!"
"You are a corpse carrying a briefcase," Evander corrected coldly.
He snatched the manila folder right out of the lawyer's hands.
He flipped it open and scanned the first page.
Hidden inside was a small flash drive.
The drive bore the private encryption seal of the federal prosecutor's office.
Daisy walked down the steps and peered over Evander's shoulder.
"That's a Department of Justice decryption key," Daisy whispered.
"Marceline wasn't just working with Graham."
"She was feeding federal intelligence to the FBI."
Evander's eyes flared with a lethal, blinding rage.
The betrayal went even deeper than he had imagined.
Not only did she try to steal his son.
She was selling the entire syndicate to the federal government.
"Viktor," Evander said without turning around.
"Put Mr. Sterling in the back of his own town car."
"Drive him straight to the federal courthouse in Manhattan."
"Drop him off at the front steps with this flash drive."
"Let his new masters explain why he was conspiring with terrorists."
Sterling began to shake violently.
"You're making a massive mistake, Evander!" he screamed.
"The FBI will tear this estate apart brick by brick!"
"Let them try," Evander replied, turning his back on him.
"I built this empire from the gutters."
"I can burn it down and build it twice as high."
Viktor grabbed the lawyer by the collar and shoved him into the car.
The vehicle peeled out of the driveway in a cloud of tire smoke.
Silence descended on the portico once more.
Evander stood looking out over his vast, mist-covered estate.
Daisy stood beside him, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
"You knew about the flash drive," Daisy stated.
Evander glanced down at her, a hint of respect in his dark eyes.
"I knew Sterling wouldn't come here without an insurance policy."
"Greedy men always bring their own nooses."
"What do we do now?" Daisy asked.
"Now," Evander said, turning toward the heavy oak doors.
"We invite the remaining syndicate capos to dinner."
May you like
"And we serve them a dish they will never forget."
[CLIFFHANGER: As they walk back inside, a massive explosion rocks the eastern perimeter wall, blowing the main security gates wide open.]
