CHAPTER 246: THE LAWS OF STEEL

CHAPTER 246: THE LAWS OF STEEL
Giovanni grabbed his jacket and head down to the alley behind the building. Standing near a matte-black SUV was Alexandro, completely disguised in a low baseball cap, oversized dark sunglasses, and a black face mask pulled over his mouth and nose.

Giovanni stepped up to the passenger door, letting out a dry laugh. "Well, I guess even Clark Kent didn't need this much disguise before people recognized him."

Alexandro let out a weary, exasperated sigh, ignoring the jab as he climbed into the driver's seat and pulled out into the morning traffic. "Get in, Gio."

Giovanni slid into the passenger seat, buckling his belt. "Look, I'm just glad you finally decided to step out of that penthouse. You've been cooped up in there for days. It isn't healthy."

"I was cooped up for a reason," Alexandro said flatly, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Giovanni raised his hands defensively. "Hey, don't bite my head off! I'm not antagonizing you. I'm just stating facts. You aren't a doctor, Lex. You don't have magical healing powers. Standing over her bed twenty-four hours a day isn't going to pull her out of a coma any faster. You need to clear your head, and the streets need to see your face."

"That is why I am here," Alexandro murmured, his voice cold and focused.

For the past week, Alexandro had been completely absent from the underworld, letting Giovanni shoulder the burden of clearing Enzo's shattered ranks. But today, two high-ranking crew leaders from Enzo’s old network had reached out for a private sit-down. These two lieutenants commanded the highest concentration of foot soldiers on the lower turf. If Alexandro could bring them into the fold, half of their territorial nightmare would vanish overnight.

"Still no sign of Enzo?" Alexandro asked as they navigated the city's outer industrial grid.

"None," Giovanni replied, his tone darkening. "He went deep into the drains. But we're monitoring every exit out of the state."

"What happened at his bunker that night?" Alexandro asked quietly.

Giovanni chuckled dryly. "Oh, now you want to know?" At Alexandro's sharp glance, Giovanni rolled his eyes. "Fine. We blew the vault door, but he had already slipped through an emergency tunnel. But Lex... the hardware in that room was insane. High-grade military gear, specialized cold-storage crates... I don't know what the fuck Enzo is doing for the Council, but their backing is terrifyingly deep."

"It ties back to those cryo-crates we saw at the docks," Alexandro said, his jaw tightening. "Whatever he is supplying to those old bastards on the Council, it's massive. We'll find out soon enough."

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a discreet, windowless back room behind an abandoned auto shop.

Alexandro pulled off his mask and sunglasses, stepping into the dimly lit room alongside Giovanni. Sitting at a rusted steel table were the two lieutenants, Marco and Vane.

The moment Alexandro walked into the light, both men froze. They looked at his tailored suit, his sharp jawline, and then turned to Giovanni with expressions of total disbelief.

"What the hell is this, Ghost?" Marco barked, leaning back in his chair. "We asked for a sit-down with the head of Ombra! Why are you bringing a corporate suits-and-ties billionaire to a street meeting? Is your syndicate being run by a fucking board of directors?!"

Alexandro's dark eyes narrowed into razor blades. He didn't raise his voice. He simply leaned forward, resting his palms flat on the steel table.

"This is Steel," Giovanni said smoothly, stepping up beside him. "I forget you two weren't around during the pioneer days. Anyone who has been on these streets long enough knows who he is."

Marco and Vane gasped, their faces draining of all color.

"Steel...?" Vane stammered, his eyes wide as he stared at Alexandro. "Holy shit... the assassin from the harbor war? The ghost who cleared the east side? You're D'Soto?!"

"Can we get down to business?" Alexandro interrupted, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register. "I don't have time to waste on your astonishment."

The two men swallowed hard, sitting up straight. Marco cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Look... we agreed to meet because Ghost claimed you weren't the one who slaughtered our old bosses. He said Enzo orchestrated the hit on Francesco, Greco, and Vittori."

"I did not order the hit on your leaders," Alexandro said flatly. "And I did not pull the trigger. Enzo used my name as a scapegoat to unite you against me while he cleared his own table."

"You expect us to just believe that?" Vane asked, narrowing his eyes. "You don't look like you're lying, but—"

"I don't lie," Alexandro cut in coldly. "If I had slaughtered your bosses, I would have put their heads on pikes in the city square as a statement. You know how Ombra operates."

The two lieutenants exchanged a long, uneasy look. They knew he was right. Ombra had never hidden behind silent hits; their violence was always loud, brutal, and public.

"Enzo saw you all as replaceable employees," Giovanni added with a cruel smirk. "You were planning to push him out, wasn't that right? He simply struck first."

Marco glared at the table, his jaw working as the truth sank in. He let out a bitter breath. "Fine. We will run our own investigation on the streets. If what you say is true... we might consider bringing our crews over to your banner."

"You have one week," Giovanni warned, leaning over the table. "Run your investigation. If you don't have an answer in seven days, we take your turf by force."

"You Ombra bastards always deal in threats," Marco muttered, standing up alongside Vane. "We'll do our digging and get back to you."

"Wait," Vane paused, looking back at Alexandro. "If we bring our foot soldiers over to your side... what is our advantage?"

Alexandro offered a cold, terrifying smile. "The advantage is that I allow you to keep breathing."

Both men bolted out the back door without another word.

Giovanni let out a long sigh, watching the door swing shut. "Do you think they'll bite?"

"They will," Alexandro said, straightening his suit jacket. "They hold the largest concentration of foot soldiers in Enzo's network. I don't want to wage another bloody war on the streets right now. We lost fifteen good men during the warehouse breach. Bribing the precinct to cover up the casualties is already a nightmare."

He paused, his dark eyes clouding over with raw, heavy exhaustion. "My focus needs to be on Bella."

Giovanni looked at his friend, hesitating for a second before taking a breath. "Speaking of Bella... before you go back into your hibernation at the penthouse, you need to sit down with the rest of our inner circle lieutenants."

Alexandro paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Why?"

Giovanni crossed his arms, his expression somber. "Because some of them are starting to talk, Lex. They know you have Bella at your apartment. They know she was an operative sent to infiltrate us, and they are asking why the head of Ombra is harboring a suspected traitor."

"She saved my mother's life," Alexandro snapped, his jaw tightening. "It is none of their fucking business."

"It is their business," Giovanni countered firmly, his voice steady. "Have you forgotten the fundamental law of our syndicate, Lex? Traitors are executed. No exceptions. You set those rules yourself years ago."

"This is different!" Alexandro growled.

"Then you need to explain why it's different to the men who bleed for you," Giovanni warned, stepping closer. "Because right now, they see their leader protecting the woman who brought a war to our doorstep. If you don't handle this, we're going to have a massive problem inside our own walls."