18. Chapter Eighteen Dante
Chapter Eighteen: Dante
I ’d spent all day chewing on what I needed to do next…and this was a meeting I definitely didn’t want to have.
I pushed open the door, the hinges silent as secrets. The room was all shadows and whispers of power, with men who knew how to keep their mouths shut. My father, Enzo, sat at the head of the table, his presence like a fortress. Marco was there too, his eyes sharp and calculating.
My uncles Tony and Leo flanked my father, and my cousins Rob and Jago chatted amongst themselves. They were useless, I had no idea why they were there. But this was a family business after all, and I needed to do whatever to keep my father happy. They all looked up, waiting for me to break the silence.
“Thanks for coming so quickly, gentlemen. Alright, let’s cut to the chase,” I began, my voice steady as I laid out the cards. “Jade—smart as they come, she’s on to something big. Neurogenetic research.” I watched their faces, saw interest flicker in the dim light. “This isn’t just about playing doctor. It’s a game-changer for us, especially with the Carusos always breathing down our necks.”
The old oak table gleamed under the low lights, reflecting back the serious lines etched into each man’s face. Every one of them knew what was at stake. We weren’t just running numbers and pushing product; we were fighting for the throne of Little Italy, night by bloody night.
“Enhancing loyalty, boosting cognitive abilities,” I pressed on, watching as the shadows seemed to lean closer. “Imagine our guys, sharper, more dedicated. Unbreakable.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed, and I knew he was seeing the same vision—a battalion of soldiers with minds like steel traps. But then his gaze shifted, a slight hardening at the corners that told me he was about to shift gears.
“Sounds like sci-fi,” my cousin Jago said helpfully.
“I’ll admit it’s far off,” I replied. “For now, let’s think of the profit.”
“And this neuroscientist you’ve been seeing,” Enzo said, his voice smooth as aged whiskey, “what’s her role in all this?”
I stiffened. Jade. Her name was a bullet in the chamber, ready to fire off into dangerous territory. “She’s not part of this,” I shot back. The thought of her getting tangled in our web had my heart slamming against my chest. She was a civilian, innocent in a way none of us could claim. “She’s just... research. An easy in,” I added, hoping to God he’d buy it.
Enzo leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful frown settling on his face as he took in my response. “Just research,” he echoed, before his gaze turned towards Marco. “And what do you think of this, son?”
Marco pursed his lips, the wheels turning behind those sharp eyes. “Why not?” he said calmly, with an indifferent shrug. “Every war needs its weapons, and if science can give us an edge, then we should use it.”
But I could see the calculating glint in his eyes—Marco wasn’t interested in the hypothetical super abilities. No, he was thinking about the goldmine that genome data could represent. Healthcare companies, pharmaceutical giants, Silicon Valley—they’d all kill for that kind of information.
“However,” Marco continued, his slick tone a stark contrast to the menacing implication of his words. “The question isn’t whether we can use it, Dante. The question is how long it will take us to get our hands on it.”
Enzo turned back to me, his piercing gaze demanding an answer. The room was thick with tension, the stakes were high and each second ticking away was a reminder of the war that raged outside these walls.
“I have it,” I said. “Almost all of it. And if things keep going my way, I can make Dr. Bentley work for me outside of her official BioHQ capacity, which means the data I stole will have more legitimacy.”
Enzo’s lips twitched in slight approval, a small victory for me. “Make sure you keep things under control, Dante. Don’t let your feelings for this woman cloud your judgement.” His words were measured, but his tone was a clear warning.
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. The whole thing threatened to spill over the edge - Jade, BioHQ, the Carusos... It all hung in a delicate balance. But I was Dante Moretti, and I wasn’t about to let it shatter.
“Do we need to dispose of her once you’re done with getting the data?” My father asked, ever practical.
I felt the blood drain from my face, my heart pounding a brutal rhythm against my ribs. “No,” I said quickly, too quickly, and I knew they’d picked up on it. The room seemed to darken, the air becoming tight. A coil of fear spiraled in my gut.
There was a silence that fell over us like a shroud - heavy and foreboding. Marco was staring at me, his sharp gaze boring into mine, analyzing, calculating. Enzo was watching me too, his eyes hard and unyielding.
“Listen,” I started again, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Jade has no idea about our operations. She thinks she’s helping out with an independent research study. We keep it that way.”
The silence was like a loaded gun, each of us waiting to see who would pull the trigger first. I cleared my throat and leaned forward, hands clasped on the polished oak table that had seen more bloodshed discussed than a battlefield.
“Let’s cut through the crap,” I said, desperate to shift the topic away from Jade. My voice was steady, but inside I was tightrope walking over a pit of vipers. “We have a chance here to pioneer something the streets haven’t even dreamed of. We need to do this quickly. We shouldn’t worry about ethical considerations beyond what we have to show to look legitimate,” I scoffed lightly, a wry smile touching my lips as I met my father’s steely gaze. “We’ve never played by those rules.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, but it was enough to tell me I was treading on thin ice. I quickly forged ahead before the old man could call me out.
“We’ve got covert medical facilities already set up,” I continued, speaking with a confidence I was far from feeling. “They’re disguised as public health R we control.”
“Understood,” I said. I felt the weight of what we were embarking upon settle around me like a cloak. Tonight, I had convinced the most powerful men in the room to walk a razor’s edge. Tomorrow, I’d have to deliver on the promise of revolution.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” my uncle, who rarely spoke, asked. Tony was a terrifying man–I didn’t like him at all, and my dad liked him even less, but he had to be there.
“Yes, Tony. The projections,” I started. “They’re more than promising. We’re talking about an expansion of revenue streams that makes our traditional rackets look like chump change.”
I laid out the charts and graphs across the mahogany table, each line and curve a testament to the potential that lay within our grasp. They all studied them, his eyes sharp as razors, missing nothing.
“Biotechnology,” Tony mused, his finger tracing the upward trend on the graph. “You’re certain this isn’t a house of cards?”
“Solid as concrete,” I assured him. The figures didn’t lie. “We dominate this niche, we don’t just survive, we thrive—eclipsing the Carusos in ways they can’t even imagine.”
My dad’s nod was slow, cautious. A seasoned predator giving respect to a new weapon, but wary of its bite.
“I don’t know about this,” Jago said.
“Well, good thing he didn’t ask you,” my father replied. “A preliminary trial, then. Quiet as the grave, Dante. If there’s even a hint of a leak, or if security doesn’t hold up...”
“Then we pull the plug,” I finished for him. “But it won’t come to that. I’ve got people on this who are ghosts; they make sounds vanish.”
“Good.” Enzo leaned back, the leather chair creaking under his weight. “But remember, we tread softly until we’re sure. The last thing we need is the Carusos sniffing around before we’re ready to move.”
“Understood,” I replied, feeling the weight of his trust like a mantle on my shoulders. This was it—the moment where I steered us into new territory, away from the bloody streets and into the silent war of technology and information.
The old man stood, signaling the end of the discussion. His movements were deliberate, every inch the Don who’d navigated a lifetime of threats. “Stay sharp,” he said. “And Dante? Make me proud.”