“Caleb showed them the ledgers.”

“He showed them how much money you’ve been diverting to keep this place hidden.”

“They don’t like a boss who hides behind concrete walls and a secret family.”

The mercenary to her left shifted his weight, his rifle pointed at my chest.

The smell of wet earth and rusted iron seemed to grow stronger in the silence.

“Caleb is a lieutenant,” I said.

“The syndicate does not hand a multi-million dollar territory to a lieutenant.”

“They do when the lieutenant promises a seventy percent return instead of your fifty,” Elena said.

She took another step into the room, her leather heels clicking on the wet floor.

“The board in the city voted six to one in Caleb’s favor.”

“Even your old friend in Brooklyn signed the paper.”

The news felt like a physical blow, but I did not let my face change.

Seventeen years of trust with Caleb, wiped out by a vote in a smoky room in Manhattan.

“They made a mistake,” I said.

“They chose a snake who will sell them out the moment things get difficult.”