Chapter 7 - The Audio from the Pyrenees
Three days later, the high council of the French Syndicate gathered in
Marseille.
Sixty capos from Paris, Lyon, and Nice sat in heavy leather armchairs.
On the central projector, the microfilm audio played through the hall.
Gabriel Moreau’s final, calm voice resonated through the speakers:
'Mayday, Mayday. Surface lock confirmed from De Winter radar battery. They are
covering up the illegal weapons cache. Dominic... protect the family.'
The silence in the room was absolute.
Henri and Camille De Winter stood in the center of the floor in iron chains.
Their empire was already dismantled.
Federal agents had seized their warehouses.
Their bank accounts were stripped.
The senior don of Paris stood up.
“The De Winter family is stripped of all rank, territory, and protection. Hand
them to the federal prosecutors for treason and murder.”
Camille wept as armed marshals dragged her from the room.
Henri hung his head, broken and disgraced.
Dominic stood at the podium.
He didn't wear a tuxedo.
He wore a simple black wool coat.
Beside him sat Valkyrie on a carved wooden perch, her feathers gleaming under
the chandeliers.
“The Moreau family claims the maritime territory,” Dominic announced with quiet
May you like
authority.
“And the war is over.”
