Chapter 11 - The Devil of Manhattan
Six months later.
The spring sun beat warmly down on the polished limestone steps of the federal
courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
A sea of news cameras, reporters, and flashbulbs created a wall of light.
Julian Vance was escorted down the steps in bright orange prison scrubs, his
hands and feet chained with heavy iron links.
The jury had taken less than two hours to return guilty verdicts on all
forty-seven counts:
RICO conspiracy.
First-degree murder.
Grand larceny.
Wire fraud.
He was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of
parole.
As the marshals shoved him into the back of the armored transport van, Julian
looked through the crowd.
His sunken, hollow eyes locked onto me.
I stood at the top of the marble steps wearing a tailored cream-colored business
suit.
Beside me stood Dominic Salvatore.
Dominic wore an immaculate three-piece navy suit, completely unburdened by the
violence of the past.
Julian opened his mouth to scream a final curse, but the marshal slammed the
heavy steel doors shut, cutting him off from the world forever.
The press swarmed toward the steps.
“Mr. Salvatore! Is it true your company just donated twenty million dollars to
the waterfront redevelopment fund?”
“Ms. Valli! Will the Valli Memorial Trust oversee the independent port oversight
committee?”
Dominic raised a single hand.
The crowd of loud reporters fell instantly silent, just as the restaurant had
six months ago.
“No comments today, gentlemen,” Dominic said with effortless charm.
“Salvatore Logistics has completed its full audit.”
“We belong to the future now.”
He took my elbow gently, guiding me past the barricades toward a waiting black
luxury sedan.
Not an armored Maybach.
A sleek, elegant hybrid town car.
Vincent was waiting by the open door, wearing a clean suit with a small silver
pin of our new maritime foundation on his lapel.
He tipped his head respectfully to me as I slid into the leather seat.
“Morning, Boss. Morning, Elena.”
“Morning, Vincent,” I replied with a warm smile.
May you like
Dominic slid in beside me, and the car pulled smoothly into the downtown
traffic.
