Chapter 12 - A Ghost from the Past
The downtown shipping docks were incredibly desolate, covered in a thick, freezing fog rolling violently off Lake Michigan.
Vincent’s massive convoy of black armored SUVs pulled up to Pier 44, completely surrounding the unauthorized cargo ships.
I stayed closely by Vincent's side as we stepped out into the freezing wind, flanked entirely by heavily armed, fiercely loyal guards.
A tall, heavily scarred man in a dark trench coat walked slowly down the metal gangway of the largest ship.
Marcus Romano smiled, but the expression was entirely devoid of any genuine warmth or basic human emotion.
"Little Vincent DeLuca, you have certainly grown into a very fine, powerful king," Marcus sneered, his raspy voice echoing across the empty concrete.
"You have exactly ten minutes to turn these ships around and leave my city, Marcus," Vincent warned, his voice dangerously calm and utterly lethal.
"This city originally belonged to my family before your treacherous father violently stole it from me," Marcus fired back, his fake smile dropping completely.
Marcus suddenly shifted his cold, dead eyes directly toward me, studying my face with a terrifying, predatory intensity.
"And who is this beautiful little creature standing in the middle of a mafia war?" Marcus asked, taking a bold step forward.
Vincent instantly stepped in front of me, completely shielding my body with his own massive frame while drawing his suppressed pistol.
"If you even look at my fiancée again, I will personally guarantee that you burn in a fire you can never escape," Vincent roared, absolute murder in his eyes.
Marcus laughed darkly, holding his hands up in a mocking, entirely insincere gesture of peaceful surrender.
"I am simply here to forcefully reclaim my legitimate businesses, Vincent," Marcus stated smoothly, gesturing to the massive steel shipping containers.
"You have exactly forty-eight hours to hand over the southern district, or this entire city will drown in a sea of blood."
Marcus turned around and walked slowly back up the metal gangway, leaving a suffocating, heavy tension completely hanging in the freezing air.
Vincent aggressively holstered his weapon, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might actually shatter.
"He is completely out of his mind if he thinks I will ever surrender a single inch of my empire," Vincent muttered, grabbing my hand tightly.
May you like
I squeezed his warm hand back, silently promising him that we would entirely destroy this new threat together.
The beautiful, quiet life we had planned was officially on hold, replaced entirely by the terrifying drums of an unavoidable war.
