Chapter 49 49

Chapter 49 49
Dominic's POV

The morning cast my lawyers back on the mansion — five of them, and all as expensive as to give even rich men pause. They laid out papers across my round office conference table with the practiced efficiency of surgery prep for a high-risk operation.

“We have a stronger case than what they first thought,” the words burst forth without any preliminary from Marcus Chen. He was never one to cushion bad news, and that was one reason I kept him on retainer.

"How strong are we talking?"

"We do have bank financing records, its true, originating from money laundering. Transcripted telephone conversations that sound like they are talking about illegal things. And there were several witnesses who had been set to testify about the organization’s activities.” He paused.
"It's substantial, Dominic. Very substantial."

"Cassius." I said the name like a curse.

"He's certainly their star witness. But he's not the only one. It's been reported that several individuals have testified in exchange for immunity or reduced sentences.”

Rats. There were rats when the ship began to sink. Lifelong loyalists who suddenly develop a conscience when the clink is in their future.

"Who?" I spoke with a flat, measured tone. "I want names."

Marcus frowned, casting a glance at his companions. “Dom, perhaps we need to preach to a broader defense strategy rather than...”

"Names. Now." I wasn't asking anymore.

He sighed and checked his notes. “Based on information we have from early discovery: Marco Benedetti, Tony Schultz, and..." Another pause. "Paulo DeLaurentis."

The room went absolutely silent. Even the lawyers, who had seen everything in a legal career, somehow grasped that significance of that last name.

Paulo. My uncle. My father's brother. Family.

"He's testifying against me?" The words were softer than I’d meant them to be.

"It appears so. In return for prosecutorial immunity.”

I stood up slowly and went to look out the window; I turned away from the room and thought on this betrayal. Paulo was part of the organization since before I was born. Raised me with my help after my mother died. Among those who had stood by me as I succeeded my father. And here he was betraying me to save his own skin.

"Thank you. That will be all for now." My voice was flat, emotionless.

The lawyers packed up and shuffled off with no small discomfort. Only Xavier, who stood by the door with that look of his that meant he had things on his mind he wasn’t certain were appropriate to discuss.

"Paulo," he said finally. "I can't believe he'd actually—"

"I can." I turned to face him. "He always resented my father. Felt he should have been the one to be head of the family. And by extension, he resented me for being in possession of what he believed was rightfully his”.

The family is meant to be sacred in our world.”

“In our world, nothing is sacred for real things. You taught me that yourself." Xavier had been the one to teach me that loyalty was brought, not bred. No, blood was less than leverage.

"What are you going to do?"

“Learn exactly what he’s going to say. I need to know how much terror he’s realistically able to instill.” I pulled out my phone. “And then I’m going to have a little talk with my dear uncle on the price of betrayal.”

Xavier nodded slowly. "Want me to come with you?"

"No. This is family business. I'll handle it alone."

I arrived unannounced at Paulo’s house, parked my car prominently in his driveway. Let the neighbors see. Let whosoe’er may hear, tell that I am there. Paulo was obviously scared when he opened up the door and found me on his front porch.

Good. He should be afraid.

"Dominic, I don't think—"

Without waiting for an invitation, I shoved myself by him and out of the raw weather. "We need to talk. About your testimony."

I have no idea what you’re talking about—" The denial came so reflexively he felt a little sick.

Do not insult us both by lying. I know you are going to testify against me. I know they’ve offered you immunity. What I haven’t figured is what you will say.”

Paulo’s face fell like wet paper. Suddenly, all 68 years of him showed in his face; the burden of that decision aged him visibly as he spoke. “They left me no option, Dominic. It was testifying or get charged myself. Twenty years in prison for me at my age is equal to the death sentence.”

“So you decided to put family in the corner.” I spoke in a level tone, but the words contained all of the condemnation that seethed inside me.

"I chose to survive. Exactly as you would have if you were me. Don’t tell me you would not save yourself if you had the opportunity.”

Maybe that was true. Perhaps I would have done the same calculus, had our places been reversed. But it didn’t make the betrayal sting any less.

“What will you say? What are you actually testifying about?”

"The truth. The operations, the money laundering, the legitimate businesses we run as fronts. Everything." His voice was defeated. “Everything I know from thirty years in the movement.

"Everything." I let the word linger in the air between us. Paulo was heavily involved in operations. Knew about things that would sure bury me down. “They’re giving you immunity to testify. But what about protection afterward?"

"What do you mean?" Confusion crossed his weathered face.

“You really believe you can testify against me and that we are going to walk away neatly? Like you’ll just walk away and live happily ever after?” I leaned closer, speaking in a low voice. “I have people in my organization who are deeply, personally offended by betrayal. For people who will not care about federal protection or witness relocation programs.”

Paulo paled, the mix of hatred and fear that Caleb sometimes saw in his eyes was replaced by genuine fear for the first time. "They promised protection—"

“They can’t save you from everyone. Not really. Not patient, motivated people.” I wasn’t even coming at him directly with a threat. Just stating facts. “You’ve put a target on your back that will never go away.”

"I'm sorry, Dominic. But I'm an old man. I can't do hard time. I would not last a year in federal prison.”

“Well, for your sake that testimony better be worth it. “You know why none of you can sleep right now? Not one? Because you've just personally attacked their lives and guaranteed them all a lifetime of looking over their shoulders, getting thrown by the wayside when seen obsolete — that's have they're going to look at themselves," she added.

Then I got up and walked back to my car in a controlled fury, rage BURNING through me as I did so. Out there, once I was alone and safe, I texted Xavier: “Paulo’s a dead man walkin’. You make clear to everybody — anybody who lays a hand on him before he testifies and I’ll hold personally responsible. And after that, I don’t give a damn what happens.”

Back at the mansion, the problems were piling up like a toppling tower. My accountant appeared to be physically sick as he broke that piece of bad news.

“The banks are freezing your accounts. All the domestic ones."

"All of them?" I had been hoping for some, but not everything at once
.
“Accounts that they are aware of, yes. Federal asset seizure. According to them, it is the money of criminal origin.”

"What about the offshore accounts?" Those were supposed to be untouchable, coated with multiple layers of shell corporations and offshore jurisdictions.

"Safe for now. But perhaps the prosecution finds them during their investigation —”

"They won't. Those are buried too deep to be unearthed, shielded by too many legal barriers.”
Yet even as I said it, I wondered if indeed anything was ever buried deep enough. Not with people like Paulo going along.

“We have to mobilize liquidity. Get into cash, gold, anything that’s not easy to seize.”

“That’s going to be hairy and dangerous —”

"Everything is risky now. Make it happen."

Over the next hour, we got it all sorted out — how to turn millions in assets into untraceable physical resources. It was like getting ready for war, which I guess it was.

My phone rang, cutting short our planning. Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Before I could even respond, my heart stopped.

“Mr. DeLaurentis, this is regarding your aunt Marcella.”

"What about her?" My voice sounded harsher than I’d meant.

She’s gone backward. Her condition has deteriorated significantly. Come to the hospital."

I glanced at Xavier, who was already on his feet already reaching for his jacket. He'd heard enough to understand.

"We're on our way."

I was in the car, careering through Chicago traffic, and my thoughts were a tumult. Paulo's betrayal. The mounting legal case. Cassius winning from behind bars. And now Marcella could be dying. It was all going to hell at the same time, like dominoes falling in every direction.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unfamiliar number. I opened it, but I knew that I should not have.

"How does it feel? Watching the world you had built crumble around you? This is just the beginning. Best part is still to come. - C"

Cassius. They were still mocking me even in court. Continuing to twist the knife.