Chapter 6 - The Clean Sweep
By 4:00 AM, the underground surgical suite was filled with state troopers, federal agents, and forensic technicians.
The heavy steel security shutters had been cut open from the outside using hydraulic equipment brought in by the state police tactical team. Lorenzo Bellandi and Dr. Edmund Crane were led out in hand-and-ankle cuffed chains, flanked by six armed federal marshals.
The Bellandi crime syndicate hadn't just suffered a failed hit; it had suffered a total structural collapse.
In the hallway outside the surgical suite, Mara sat on a wooden bench, wearing an oversized police jacket over her blood-stained scrubs. A warm paper cup of black coffee sat between her hands.
Beside her, leaning his massive black head against her knee, was Titan.
The dog refused to move more than two feet away from her. Whenever a police officer or a paramedic walked past, Titan’s eyes tracked them with cool suspicion, but as long as Mara’s hand remained resting on his ears, he stayed completely motionless.
Dr. Gabriel Vance walked out of the surgical bay, carrying his leather bag. He had stripped off his bloodied gown and put on a charcoal wool coat. He walked over to Mara and stood before her.
"Vittorio is being transferred to the intensive care unit at Northwestern Memorial under federal protection," Vance said quietly. "He’s going to survive, Mara. The lung is re-expanded, the artery is stable, and his toxicology screens are clean."
Mara took a sip of the bitter coffee. "What happens to him now?"
"He’ll face federal indictments, most likely," Vance shrugged. "Lorenzo’s private vault was opened by the state troopers an hour ago. They found enough ledgers and encrypted hard drives to lock up every captain in the Midwest for twenty years. Vittorio’s empire is gone."
"And what happens to you, Dr. Vance?"
Vance offered a small, sad smile. "I’m taking a very long vacation to a country without an extradition treaty. I suggest you do something similar, Nurse Donnelly. You’re a key witness in a federal wiretap and attempted murder case now."
"I'm not running, Doctor," Mara said flatly. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"In this world, doing the right thing is often the most dangerous crime you can commit," Vance said softly. He looked down at Titan, then back at Mara. "Take care of the dog. He chose you tonight. In thirty years of treating men like Vittorio Bellandi, I’ve never seen that animal let anyone touch his collar."
Vance turned and walked down the long concrete corridor, disappearing into the cold morning mist.
Twenty minutes later, a sleek black town car pulled up into the underground bay.
A tall woman in a sharp grey suit stepped out. She was forty years old, with sharp features, hair pulled back into a tight bun, and a silver federal badge pinned to her lapel.
"Mara Donnelly?" the woman asked, stepping forward.
"Yes."
"I’m Special Agent Clara Mercer, Federal Bureau of Investigation," the woman said, pulling a leather notebook from her pocket. "I’m leading the task force investigating the Bellandi syndicate. I need to take your official statement."
Agent Mercer looked down at Titan. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her body stiffening as she registered the size of the dog.
"Is that... Vittorio’s dog?" Mercer asked nervously.
"His name is Titan," Mara said. "And he's coming with me."
Agent Mercer blinked, surprised. "Miss Donnelly, that animal is technically physical evidence in an ongoing attempted murder investigation. He’s a dangerous dog trained by a known mob boss."
Mara set her coffee cup down on the bench. She stood up, her dark eyes locking onto the agent with an intensity that made the federal officer take half a step back.
"That animal saved Vittorio Bellandi’s life twice tonight," Mara said, her voice dropping into that flat, dangerous tone that had commanded the operating room. "He stopped a murderous doctor, he pinned a syndicate assassin, and he protected a surgical team while they saved a man's life. He isn't evidence. He’s my patient."
Agent Mercer stared at Mara for five long seconds. She looked at the blood on Mara’s scrubs, at the quiet authority in her posture, and finally down at Titan, who gave a single, low hum from his chest.
Mercer sighed, snapping her notebook shut.
"My report will state that the animal escaped into the surrounding woods during the tactical breach," Mercer said quietly. "Where are you going, Miss Donnelly?"
May you like
Mara looked out through the open bay doors toward the eastern horizon, where the first pale rays of dawn were breaking through the storm clouds.
"Somewhere quiet," Mara said, reaching down to unclip her leather watch from her pocket and sliding it back onto her wrist. "Somewhere where nobody is trying to kill their brother."
