Twelve million in potential street value, turning to ash right in front of me.
"Jesus Christ," I say, rubbing my forehead.
The fire roars, feeding on the chemicals inside, popping and crackling as it devours everything.
Shane spots me and jogs over, his face grim.
"What the fuck happened?" I ask, stepping toward him.
"Started about twenty-five minutes ago. Explosion below deck, from what the night watchman said."
"Where the fuck was security? How did someone get close enough to plant something?"
"I don't know," he says. "We got here before the fire trucks." He takes out his phone. "I saw something. Took a picture of it."
He swipes to a photo and holds it out to me.
It takes a second to register.
It's the side of the ship, the rusted metal illuminated by the first licks of flame. Spray-painted across the hull in black is the unmistakable silhouette of a feather. A large black feather. Deliberate.
Just like the one stuffed in Knox's mouth.
Just like what Callum mentioned about the driver.
I stare at the image, everything clicking into place. This isn't random. This isn't bad luck or carelessness.
My blood runs cold.
"Boss?" Shane's voice seems far away. "What does it mean?"
"It was deliberate," I say, my voice low.
Cold fury settles in my bones as I watch the ship burn.
This isn't petty sabotage.
This isn't street-level bullshit.
It's a message.
And someone out there just declared war.
"Get Dempsey and O'Malley down here," I say, my voice firm. "I want every camera feed from every angle for the last forty-eight hours. I want to know who was on that dock."
"Already on it," Shane nods. "We're pulling footage now."
A firefighter approaches, his face streaked with soot. "Sir, you need to step back. We're concerned about secondary explosions."
I ignore him, turning to Shane again. "Call Callum. Tell him what happened. Tell him I said to tell the Bonventis and Kastaris it was electrical. Nothing else before we speak. Then get word to Rodgers. I want to know if any other families have had similar hits."
"And the feather in the picture?" Shane asks quietly.
The flames reflect in my eyes as I stare at the burning ship. "For now, we keep that between us. I need to figure out what the fuck it means before we start throwing it around."
The firefighter steps closer. "Sir, I'm not asking. You need to move back now."
I finally acknowledge him with a cold glare. "You know whose dock this is?"
