Chapter 8 - The Archival Raid
At midnight, three black armored SUVs pulled up outside the New York City Planning Archives. The building was dark, the front doors chained shut.
Four of the Moretti family's guards were stationed near the entrance, but before they could even draw their weapons, Leo’s tactical team moved in like shadows, neutralizing them with silent, professional efficiency.
Leo and Clara walked through the shattered glass doors, their footsteps echoing through the massive, dusty halls of the city’s history. Clara led him deep into the basement, stopping outside a heavy, rusted iron vault labeled Section 12: Structual Diagnostics.
Using her old archivist knowledge, she manipulated the manual tumblers until the heavy door creaked open. Inside, hidden beneath a false floor board, was a weathered leather briefcase containing hundreds of original blueprints, lab reports, and signed confession logs showing the Morettis' systemic use of fraudulent materials across Manhattan’s luxury real estate sector.
"We have it," Clara whispered, holding the briefcase against her chest like a shield.
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"Not so fast, Castellano."
The lights in the basement archive suddenly flashed on, blinding them. Standing at the top of the stairs, surrounded by twelve armed men, was Don Matteo Moretti himself—an older, cruel-faced man holding a gold-plated revolver.
