Chapter 7 - The Gathering Storm in the Harbor
For the next three weeks, the Federal Hill townhouse underwent a complete transformation.
Under Augustus’s strict supervision, the dark, oppressive furniture was replaced, the walls were repainted in warm ivory and gold, and the lingering echoes of Priscilla’s tyranny were scrubbed clean.
Yet, peace in the Baltimore underworld was always a fragile illusion.
One evening, I sat in the grand library on the estate’s main floor, reviewing the legal trust documents Henry Voss had finally managed to sign over to me from his hospital bed.
The heavy mahogany doors flew open.
Augustus strode into the room, his overcoat unbuttoned, his tie slightly loose, his dark gray eyes flashing with dangerous energy.
“Pack a bag, Delaney,” he ordered immediately.
I stood up, dropping the papers onto the desk.
“What’s wrong?”
“One of Grant’s surviving associates—a regional syndicate boss named Marcus Vance—just made a move,” Falcone explained rapidly, walking over to his wall safe and pulling out a heavy tactical pistol. “He thinks because Grant is locked up, he can step into the vacuum and seize the waterfront docks.”
“Is my safety compromised here?” I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
“This estate is secure,” Falcone said, turning to face me. “But Vance knows about you. He knows you hold the trust deeds to the primary shipping warehouses. He’s coming for you to force my hand.”
Before I could answer, the overhead lights in the mansion suddenly flickered and died.
Total darkness plunged the grand library into absolute blackness.
Emergency red backup lights clicked on instantly along the baseboards, casting long, crimson shadows across the bookshelves.
WHIR-CLICK.
The reinforced steel security shutters slammed down over every window in the mansion with a deafening metallic thud.
Falcone cursed under his breath.
“They hit the master power grid,” he snarled, chambering a round in his pistol with a crisp, lethal snap. “Stay behind me, Delaney.”
Gunfire erupted from the front courtyard below.
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The battle for the Falcone empire had just arrived at our doorstep.
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