Page 9 of Code Name: Grit

“Kodiak is hearing more about a couple of big shipments coming into Red Hook later this week,” said Tank, looking at his phone.

“Former Castellano hold,” I said, my eyes meeting Lumi’s first, then Tank’s. “We need to move now. Get in there ahead of their arrival.”

“If they secure Red Hook, Port Newark and Maher are next,” Lumi said with steel in her voice.

“The three biggest terminals in the Port of New York,” Tank confirmed.

“Admiral, how soon can transport be here?”

“Three hours tops.”

“We’ll stay at the Wythe tonight,” I said to Atticus. “Can you get everything we need set up?”

“Affirmative. It’ll be waiting when you arrive.”

“I’m securing communication lines now,” said Dragon. “They’ll be live in under sixty minutes.”

“Tank, contact Kodiak and prep for deployment,” I ordered. “Atticus and Dragon, monitor all channels. If someone so much as orders a pizza in that area, I want to know about it.”

“You’re moving too fast,” Dante cut in. “You’re not ready for this, Chiara. These people don’t just kill their enemies. They make examples of them.”

The siblings locked eyes like a mirror image by way of DNA more than shared history. Dante looked away first. “If anythinghappens to her—” he said, repeating his words from earlier to me.

My voice dropped to a register I rarely used outside of combat situations. “I won’t let it. Everything will be by the book. Multiple layers of backup.”

“This is your call, Grit,” said Admiral.

My eyes stayed riveted to Dante’s. “Let’s do this,” I said when he finally gave me the head nod.

I spentthe next hour crafting assignments for each team member, constructing layers of surveillance and support. We prioritized the shipping terminal operation while leaving smaller teams in place to continue monitoring simultaneous moves against protection rackets and gambling operations. When I finished, I turned to Luminous and lowered my voice. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Something flickered in her expression before she nodded. “Affirmative.”

“Clock’s ticking,” Admiral reminded us.

I headed for the area where our gear was stored, focusing on mission prep rather than the growing tension. When Vincent Castellano Jr. was convicted, we believed we’d made a significant dent in organized crime operating not only out of New York City, but on the East Coast, in general. Now, with the way the Belcastros were moving in, that felt more like a door ding.

“What other organizations are poised to sweep in if we manage to thwart the Belcastros? We can’t afford to be blindsided a second time,” I said, returning to the main room. “We need to widen our focus beyond New York.”

“Do you want to narrow that field a little?” Tank asked. “Or at least prioritize it?”

“I will,” said Lumi, nudging me out of her way. “In Buffalo, the biggest threats are from the Magaddino and Palmary families?—”

“Don’t forget the Bills’ mafia,” said Atticus.

While his joke was mildly amusing, the look Lumi shot him nearly had me laughing out loud.

“Sorry,” I heard the man mutter after it appeared she wouldn’t continue until he apologized.

“Who else and where?” I asked, hoping we could get back on track.

“Back to Buffalo, those families are the closest threat,” Lumi continued. “The Patriarcas have networks in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Boston. Otherwise, the remaining big four—Genovese, Columbo, Bonnano, and Belcastros—are active in every city I mentioned.”

“What about alliances?” I asked.

“That’s more complicated. It would make the most sense for the Belcastros to align themselves with the Patriarcas to consolidate power across the entire Northeast corridor, but that will never happen.”

“Why not?” Atticus asked.

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