Chapter 141: People Will Die Dimitri....

POV: DIMITRI

Dimitri stood at the window of his office, watching the city wake up beneath him as dawn broke over the skyline.

He hadn’t slept.

After going through Marco’s files, after understanding the full scope of what his father had built, what The Covenant had done, what revenge would require, sleep had been impossible.

His phone buzzed.

Mike: You up?

Dimitri smiled slightly. Mike always knew.

Yeah. Office. You?

Be there in 20.

Dimitri set down his phone, moved to the coffee maker.

He’d called Mike at 3 AM, woken him up with four words: "I need to talk."

Mike hadn’t asked questions. Had just said he’d be there at dawn.

That was partnership.

That was the kind of loyalty Dimitri needed for what was coming.

Twenty minutes later, the private elevator opened and Mike stepped out....jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket, looking alert despite the early hour.

"Coffee?" Dimitri offered.

"Always." Mike took the mug, studied Dimitri’s face. "You look like shit."

"Thanks."

"When’s the last time you slept?"

"Two days ago. Maybe." Dimitri moved back to the window. "I found something. About my father. About my mother’s death. About things I need to do that I can’t do alone."

Mike’s expression shifted immediately, from casual to focused. "What did you find?"

Dimitri gestured to the laptop on his desk. "Marco’s been investigating Antonio’s business dealings. Following money trails. Digging into things my father thought he’d buried."

"And?"

"And my father owns an illegal pharmaceutical company. Prometheus Laboratories. Registered in the Caymans, hidden behind shell companies, producing banned substances." Dimitri’s voice was flat. "Drugs. Poisons. Experimental viruses. Biological weapons."

Mike went very still. "Biological weapons."

"Yes." Dimitri pulled up the files, turned the laptop so Mike could see. "For two years, 2008 to 2010 Prometheus partnered with The Covenant. The organization that kidnapped my mother. They worked together developing viral weapons, sharing facilities, testing on human subjects."

Mike’s jaw clenched as he read through the documentation. "Jesus Christ."

"The partnership collapsed in August 2010. My father tried to cut them out. They retaliated by kidnapping my mother and injecting her with a virus." Dimitri’s voice was controlled, but Mike heard the rage underneath. "A virus that came from research mt father helped fund."

"Your father...." Mike stopped, processing. "Your father’s company developed the virus that killed your mother."

"Not directly. The Covenant owned the viral research. But Antonio gave them the facilities, the resources, the infrastructure to create it." Dimitri moved to his desk, sat down heavily. "He didn’t kill her. But his choices made her death possible."

Mike closed the laptop, set down his coffee. "What are you going to do?"

"The Covenant is still operational. Still developing biological weapons. Still conducting human experiments. Still killing people." Dimitri met Mike’s eyes. "I want to destroy them. Make them pay for what they did to my mother. End their weapons program permanently."

"But?"

"But they’re untouchable. Too much money, too much power, too many government connections. No one can get close enough to take them down." Dimitri paused. "Except someone with deep enough connections to access their organization. Someone who partnered with them before."

Understanding dawned across Mike’s face. "Antonio."

"The only way to get to The Covenant is through my father’s networks. His resources. His position." Dimitri’s voice turned hard. "Which means I need to take over as Don. I need to overthrow Antonio and claim his empire."

Mike was quiet for a long moment, processing the implications.

"That’s...." He stopped. "That’s war. Father against son. You’re talking about going to war with Antonio Valentino."

"Yes."

"He’s not going to hand over power peacefully."

"I know."

"He’ll come at you with everything he has. Every ally. Every resource. Every dirty trick." Mike’s voice was serious. "People will die, Dimitri. A lot of people."

"I know that too." Dimitri stood, began to pace. "But I can’t let The Covenant keep operating. Can’t let them keep killing people with weapons my father helped create. And I can’t let my father keep running Prometheus, keep profiting from human suffering, keep conducting experiments, keep being the monster he’s always been."

Mike watched him pace, his expression thoughtful. "You said you can’t do this alone. What do you need from me?"

Dimitri stopped, turned. "I need to build forces in Italy. Antonio’s power base is in Rome, that’s where his loyalists are, where his operations are centered. If I’m going to challenge him, I need allies there. People who will turn when the time comes."

"That’s going to take time. Resources. Careful positioning."

"Months, probably. Maybe a year." Dimitri moved back to his desk. "But I have to start now. Start identifying who’s loyal to my father and who might be persuaded to switch sides. Start building relationships. Start positioning pieces on the board."

"And you need me for?"

"I need a partner I trust absolutely. Someone who knows the business, knows the players, knows how to build power structures." Dimitri met Mike’s eyes. "I need someone who can help me plan this war and execute it without getting everyone we care about killed in the crossfire."

Mike was silent, considering.

"Eve," he said finally. "Does she know?"

"Not yet."

"You have to tell her."

"I will. Tonight." Dimitri ran a hand through his hair. "But I needed to talk to you first. Needed to know if you’re in before I tell her what I’m planning. Because if you’re not, if this is too much...."

"I’m in," Mike interrupted. "Of course I’m in. You’re my brother. You’ve been my brother since we were fifteen years old." He stood, crossed to Dimitri. "And what you’re planning....taking down The Covenant, ending their weapons program, making them pay for your mother....that’s justice. Real justice. I’m not walking away from that."

Relief flooded through Dimitri. "Thank you."

"Don’t thank me yet. We’ve got a lot of work to do." Mike pulled out his phone. "Let’s start with what we know. Who are Antonio’s key people in Italy?"

***

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