Chapter 5 - Whispers in the Underworld
But peace in Vincent’s world was a luxury that always demanded a tax. The Marcone family, the rival syndicate that had been eyeing the Torino territory for years, had noticed the shift in Vincent's routine. They saw that the ruthless don was frequently visiting a suburban townhouse, unguarded by his usual army of soldiers.
Don Donato Marcone, a vicious man who believed mercy was a disease, sat in his study across town, listening to a report from his scouts.
"He goes there three times a week," the informant said. "Just him and his driver. There’s a woman and a young girl living there. The woman used to be his maid."
Donato laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "The great Vincent Torino, brought low by a servant girl and her bastard brat. He’s getting old. He’s looking for a family to comfort him in his retirement. He’s forgotten that in our line of work, a family is just a target."
Donato stood up, walking over to a map of the city’s shipping ports. "We’ve been wanting to take over his riverfront operations for a decade. Vincent has always been too sharp, too quick. But now he has an anchor dragging him down. We strike the townhouse. We take the girl and the woman. When Vincent is broken and desperate to get them back, he’ll sign over the docks without a fight."
"And if he doesn't?" the informant asked.
May you like
Donato’s eyes narrowed into slits. "Then we kill them all, and take the docks anyway."
The gears of war were turning. Unbeknownst to Vincent, the darkness he had spent his entire life mastering was now charting a course directly toward the sanctuary he had built for Carmen and Isabella.
