Chapter 6 - The Pawnshop Under Blood Alley
By the third day at the Moretti estate, the strange fortress began to feel less like a prison and more like a bizarre sanctuary.
Tony was practically glued to Nora’s side. He sat at the marble kitchen island every morning, eating pancakes she insisted on making herself rather than letting the private chef prepare them. For the first time in years, laughter echoed through the vaulted corridors of the mansion. Dominic found himself pausing in the doorway of his office, listening to the melodic sound of Nora teasing Tony about his lopsided math homework.
Yet beneath the domestic warmth, a lethal storm was gathering across the city.
On Thursday afternoon, Frank walked into Dominic's study, tossing a damp folder onto the desk. ""We found the original pawn broker who handled the music box before Little Sparrow Imports took possession. Name is Sal Vitale. He runs a dirty shop under the L-train tracks in Bridgeport.""
Dominic picked up the folder, scanning the mugshot of an oily-looking man in his late fifties. ""Did Vincent pay him directly?""
""No,"" Frank replied, his expression darkening. ""Vitale took the carousel from a local junkie who broke into Nora's building. But Vitale didn't sell it to Valenti. He sold it to a middleman named Thomas Bennett.""
Dominic’s eyes snapped up from the paperwork. ""Bennett? Her family?""
""Her brother,"" Frank confirmed. ""Thomas has a seventy-thousand-dollar gambling debt with Valenti's bookmakers. He tipped off the thieves to his own sister's apartment because he knew her grandmother left her antique jewelry. When the thieves brought the haul to Vitale, Thomas intercepted the music box, recognized its sentimental value, and offered it to Vincent as collateral to buy himself another week to live.""
Dominic stood up slowly, the temperature in the room plummeting to absolute zero. ""Her own brother sold her out to a butcher.""
""It gets worse, boss,"" Frank added grimly. ""Thomas told Vincent that Nora knew Tony Moretti personally from the school. Vincent realized right then that the sister was the key to cracking our perimeter. Thomas wasn't just paying a debt; he actively helped Valenti set the trap for Tony's credit card.""
Dominic walked toward the grand windows looking out over the snow-covered grounds. Down on the courtyard terrace, Nora was bundled in her cream coat, laughing as Tony pelted her with a poorly packed snowball. Her cheeks were flush with vibrant pink, her hair glowing like burning embers against the stark white winter landscape. She was innocent. She was pure light in a city suffocating in grease and blood, and her own bloodline had thrown her to the wolves for a handful of poker chips.
""Assemble the strike team,"" Dominic said softly, his voice devoid of any human hesitation. ""We are paying Sal Vitale a visit. And bring Thomas Bennett to the warehouse on 4th Street.""
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""What about Miss Bennett?"" Frank asked.
Dominic turned around, his eyes burning with an ancient, protective rage that surprised even himself. ""She stays here with Tony. She has suffered enough at the hands of men who should have protected her. I will settle her brother's debt in full.""
