Chapter 388: The Covenant Wants To Plant Someone On Eve

Dante gestured to Giancarlo, who held out a folder to Ricco.

"New operations map," Dante said. "Your territory remains the same. Your profit structure remains the same. The only thing that changes is who you report to. You work for me now."

Ricco looked at the folder, then at the photographs of his family, then back at Dante.

"How long do I have to decide?" Ricco asked, his voice much smaller now.

"You’ve already decided," Dante said. "You just don’t know it yet. What you’re going to do is take that folder, go back to your operation, and you’re going to start introducing my people to your contacts. You’re going to transition everything smoothly. And when it’s done, when all your people have been integrated into my network, you’re going to get a bonus. Two hundred thousand dollars for making the transition seamless."

Dante turned to address all seven dealers.

"This is the choice in front of each of you," Dante said. "Switch now, get paid, maintain your territory, keep your families safe. Or resist, and find out what it costs to stand against me."

He walked toward the exit, Paolo and Giancarlo flanking him.

"You have seventy-two hours," Dante said. "Make your decisions wisely."

***

Luca was waiting when Dante arrived back at the operations center.

The maps were still on the wall, but the blue sections had been significantly reduced. Red was spreading like a stain across the whole of Brooklyn.

"Williamsburg complete," Luca reported. "Marcus Webb took the money and left. We’re moving in operators as we speak."

"Flatbush?" Dante asked.

"Robert Chen signed the agreement an hour ago," Luca said. "Venom is ours. All operations intact."

"And the dealer meeting?"

"Ricco is the only holdout," Luca said. "But even he’s wavering. By tomorrow morning, I’d estimate he’ll fold like the rest. The others are already making preliminary arrangements to transition their operations."

Dante studied the map.

Three-quarters of Brooklyn was already transitioning to his control. By the end of the week, it would be complete.

Dimitri had no idea what was coming.

No idea that his empire was collapsing piece by piece while he was busy in New York dealing with the immediate crises he had created.

By the time Dimitri understood the full scope of what was happening, it would be far too late to stop it.

"What about the Japanese deal?" Dante asked.

"Perfect timing," Luca said, pulling up communication records on his screen. "Their representatives are calling Valentino today to inform him they’re abandoning his partnership and taking our offer. Fourteen percent better terms, faster delivery, additional benefits."

"And the money?" Dante asked.

"The first payment from the Japanese deal arrives in Dimitri’s account this week," Luca said. "But it’s going to be followed immediately by the cancellation notice and the loss of all future revenue."

Dante felt something close to satisfaction settle in his chest.

This was what warfare looked like in the underworld. Not dramatic explosions or dramatic confrontations, but systematic dismantling. Territory by territory. Dealer by dealer. Deal by deal. Dimitri’s power was being erased like someone slowly wiping chalk off a blackboard.

And the best part?

Dimitri was completely unprepared for it.

He was in New York, dealing with one problem at a time, never understanding that the real assault was coming from multiple directions simultaneously. By the time he realized what was happening, the momentum would be too strong to stop.

"Keep me updated every four hours," Dante said. "I want to know the moment every dealer switches. I want to track the territory consolidation in real-time."

"You got it," Luca said.

Dante returned to his private office and sat alone in the darkness, looking at the city stretched out below him through the windows.

Brooklyn was falling.

And Dimitri had no idea it was even under attack.

***

*Hours Later*

The operations center was finally quiet.

It was 4:47 AM, and Luca had gone to coordinate the final dealer transitions with the field teams. Paolo and Giancarlo were checking the perimeter security. The maps on the walls showed red consuming blue at a relentless pace.

Dante was alone at his desk, reviewing the integration schedules for the new territories, when his encrypted line rang.

The Covenant.

He picked up immediately.

"Status update?" the voice asked.

"Brooklyn operations proceeding flawlessly," Dante reported. "Marcus Webb took the money and left. Robert Chen switched. Seven dealers are in final transition stages. By end of week, ninety percent of Dimitri’s secondary operations in Brooklyn will be consolidated under my control."

"Excellent," the voice said. "You’re performing exactly as expected. The pressure you’re applying is keeping Dimitri exactly where we need him...reactive, divided, scrambling to respond to multiple crises simultaneously."

"The Japanese deal sabotage is also progressing," Dante added. "They’ll be calling him today with the cancellation notice."

"Perfect," the voice said. "But we need to accelerate the next phase. We have a new requirement. A critical one."

Dante felt something shift in his chest.

"What requirement?" he asked.

"The woman," the voice said. "Eve. Our previous attempt didn’t work because her security apparatus is too sophisticated. We underestimated how deeply Dimitri has integrated protection protocols around her."

Dante said nothing, waiting.

"We’ve decided on a different approach," the voice continued. "We need to establish an insider. Someone who can get close to her. Someone who can monitor her movements, her patterns, her vulnerabilities. Someone she’ll trust."

Dante understood immediately what was being asked, but he played it out anyway.

"What do you need this insider to do?" Dante asked.

There was a pause on the line. The kind of pause that suggested the voice was deciding how much to reveal.

"They’ll provide us with access," the voice finally said. "Information about her schedule, her security rotations, her regular movements. Eventually, they’ll provide us with the opportunity to execute our plan."

"And what plan is that?" Dante asked, though the answer was obvious.

"Her elimination," the voice said flatly. "We need someone inside her circle who can facilitate that elimination. Someone she won’t suspect until it’s too late."