Chapter 8 - The Ghost of the Waterfront
The highway became a chaotic war zone.
Sylvio’s soldiers poured out of the woods, catching Tony’s mercenaries in a deadly crossfire. The mercenary force, realized they had been set up, began to scatter, fleeing into the deep forest or falling under the relentless hail of bullets.
Tony Duca’s face twisted in rage as he realized his trap had failed. He turned to run toward his getaway vehicle parked down the road, but Sylvio was already moving.
Despite his age, Sylvio moved with a cold, focused speed. He vaulted over the hood of his SUV, his boots hitting the asphalt with a heavy thud, and ran after his former partner.
"Tony!" Sylvio roared.
Tony turned, drawing a silver revolver from his coat. He fired twice, the bullets whizzing past Sylvio’s ear, embedding themselves in the trees.
Sylvio fired back, hitting Tony in the shoulder.
Tony gasped, stumbling backward, his gun flying from his grip as he crashed against the hood of an abandoned sedan. He gripped his bleeding shoulder, his breathing ragged, his scarred face pale under the moonlight.
Sylvio walked up to him slowly, his gun pointed directly at Tony’s chest.
"It’s over, Tony," Sylvio said, his voice flat.
Tony looked up at him, a bloody smile spreading across his lips. "You think you’ve won, Sylvio? You think you can just go back to your nice, quiet life? You’re a monster, just like me. How many men have you killed? How many families have you ruined?"
"I never used a child to test poison," Sylvio said, his voice cold as ice. "I never targeted the innocent."
"The girl?" Tony spat, coughing up blood. "She was a street rat. A nothing. A piece of garbage I used to make sure the aconite worked. I would have killed a hundred of them to see you put that fork in your mouth."
Sylvio felt a cold, deep fury wash over him. His finger tightened on the trigger. He wanted to pull it. He wanted to see Tony’s chest open up, to end the threat once and for all.
But then, he remembered Luna’s face.
Will you make sure he can’t hurt other kids?
Yes. I give you my word.
She hadn't asked for revenge. She had asked for safety. She had asked for justice.
If Sylvio executed Tony here, in the dark woods like an animal, he would be no better than the ghost standing before him. The cycle of blood would continue, and Luna’s life would always be shadowed by the violence of his world.
Sylvio slowly lowered his gun.
Tony blinked, confused. "What? You’re not going to kill me? The great Sylvio Romano has gone soft?"
"No," Sylvio said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "I’m not going to kill you, Tony. That would be too easy. I’ve spent the last three days talking to my contacts in the federal government. I gave them your bank accounts, your shipping records, and the names of every cartel leader you worked with in South America. They’ve been looking for you for a long time."
He looked down at Tony with utter contempt. "You’re going to a federal penitentiary, Tony. A maximum-security facility in Colorado. No sun. No red wine. No empire. You’re going to spend the rest of your life in a concrete box, forgotten by the world."
From the distance, the wail of police sirens began to echo through the hills.
May you like
"You set me up," Tony whispered, realization finally dawning on his face. "The police... you called them?"
"I gave them a tip about a major cartel shipment moving through this highway tonight," Sylvio said, stepping back into the shadows as his men began to retreat into the woods, disappearing before the authorities arrived. "Enjoy your new home, Tony."
