Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary of Iron
By 10:00 p.m., the snowstorm had turned into a blizzard, blanketing Brooklyn in three feet of white powder.
I brought Emma to the Moretti Estate—a stone fortress nestled behind fifteen-foot iron gates in Bay Ridge, guarded by twenty-four heavily armed men and monitored by high-definition thermal security networks.
My housekeeper, Maria, immediately took Emma upstairs, wrapping her in a warm blanket, providing a bath, and setting her up in a warm bedroom overlooking the garden.
Downstairs in my private study, the air was thick with smoke, whiskey, and raw tension.
Four of my top captains stood before my mahogany desk.
"Boss, taking on Victor Vance over a customs clerk is risky," warned Frankie, my senior underboss. "The Russians have fifty soldiers stationed at the grain terminal. If we move on them without Commission approval, it could trigger an all-out turf war."
I picked up a crystal tumbler of scotch, taking a slow sip, my eyes fixed on the fire roaring in the hearth.
"Victor Vance dragged a woman into a van in broad daylight on my streets," I said, my voice dropping into a dangerous, dark register. "He sent his enforcers to stalk a six-year-old child into my bakery. If I tolerate that level of filth in my territory, then the Moretti family is already dead."
The heavy oak door of the study opened quietly.
Emma stood in the doorway, wearing a pink pair of pajamas Maria had bought her, her feet bare against the polished hardwood floor, holding a small plush bear.
My captains immediately ceased talking, bowing their heads in silent respect.
"Mr. Calder?" Emma called out softly, her tiny voice cutting through the thick atmosphere of war.
I set my glass down, walking across the room to kneel before her. "You should be sleeping, Emma."
"I can't sleep," she whispered, reaching out to touch my sleeve. "I'm scared they're hurting Mommy."
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I reached up, gently wiping a tear from her cheek with my thumb.
"I give you my solemn word, Emma," I said, looking directly into her eyes. "Before the sun rises tomorrow, your mother will be sitting right here in this room."
