Chapter 24
The interior of the freighter’s bridge was chaotic and filled with acrid smoke. The Sicilian captain, a rugged man with a terrified, sweating face, was forced to his knees on the steel deck by two massive Caruso bodyguards. Vincent stepped into the room, his imposing, masculine frame radiating a cold, sociopathic detachment. He lowered his weapon, staring down his high-bridged nose at the kneeling man. "You sailed into my waters," Vincent whispered, his voice dropping into a deadly, freezing register. "You brought weapons into my city. Explain your mandate." The captain swallowed hard, his bravado entirely shattered. "The European commission sent us! They said the American syndicates were weak after you executed the Five Families! We were supposed to arm the street factions and overthrow your ports!" Vincent’s jaw locked tight. The audacity of the foreign bosses was astounding, but their execution was pathetic. "You will contact your European commission," Vincent commanded, his dark eyes devoid of mercy. "You will tell them that the American empire is no longer fractured. It is singular. It is absolute. And you will tell them that the Vanguard has been repurposed." Vincent signaled to Silas, who immediately began planting heavy scuttling charges along the ship's hull.
