Chapter 8 - Echoes in the DarkThe visitor was Victor Vance, a relic from the old guard of the New York syndicate who had stayed out of the spotlight for a decade, watching from the sidelines while younger families fought for scraps.
He stepped into Adrian’s study, wearing a tailored navy overcoat, smelling faintly of expensive cigar smoke and old money.
"Adrian," Victor said, spreading his hands in a gesture of false warmth. "I heard about the mess with the Suttons. A tragedy, really. But in every tragedy, there's an empty throne."
Adrian remained seated behind his desk. He didn't offer Victor a seat.
"You waited a long time to crawl out of the woodwork, Victor," Adrian said quietly.
Victor chuckled, pulling out a slim leather briefcase and placing it on the desk. "I’m a patient man. Just like you were. Or so everyone thought. Word on the street is your hearing came back. Word is you cleaned house from top to bottom in forty-eight hours."
"You keep your ears open," Adrian noted.
"In our business, if you don't listen, you die," Victor said smoothly, tapping the leather case. "Inside here are terms for a partnership. I take fifty percent of the shipping lanes, and I make sure the remaining federal prosecutors looking into the Sutton case look the other way regarding your operations."
Adrian looked at the briefcase. Then, slowly, he looked up at Victor.
"You think I survived an assassination attempt, three years of slow poisoning, and a federal conspiracy just to hand half my empire to a vulture?"
Victor’s smile faltered slightly, though he maintained his composure. "Adrian, don't be a fool. You're strong, but you can't fight every family in New York alone."
"Who said I was alone?" Adrian asked.
Before Victor could respond, the heavy study doors clicked shut behind him.
Heavy, synchronized footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Sixteen armed men—loyal veterans of the Vale syndicate who had gone underground three years ago when Adrian was incapacitated—stepped out from the shadows of the adjoining rooms, their weapons raised and trained directly on Victor Vance.
Victor’s face lost all its color. He looked around wildly, realizing he had walked straight into a cage.
"You didn't check who controlled the perimeter before you walked in, Victor," Adrian said, standing up from his desk. At six-foot-three, he towered over the older man. "You relied on old habits. You thought a deaf boss was a weak boss."
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Victor swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he hovered over his briefcase. "Adrian... we can talk—"
"We are talking," Adrian interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper. "And as you said... if you don't listen in our business, you die."
