Tomasso’s gaze slides toward him as we pass. “You’ve got him half afraid of you.”
I keep my eyes forward, watching the road. “As it should be.”
“Ah, he speaks,” he says, his tone dry, amused.
I glance at him, the kind of look that warns against pushing further. He chuckles anyway, unfazed.
His attention shifts, his voice settling into business. “Messina dock crew was intercepted at dawn. Rival group. Three of us were injured. Like I told you earlier, the shipment’s beenpartially taken. We’ve got a location on where they moved the goods.”
“Names.” My voice is calm, but it’s not a question. It’s an order waiting to be filled.
“Small crew. But someone’s backing them. We’ll know more when we’ve got them.”
The city starts to fall away behind us, the streets opening into long stretches of road. The hum of the engine fills the quiet, the rhythm steady as we move closer to the water.
By the time we reach the docks, the air has shifted. It carries the bite of salt and the weight of oil, the kind of scent that clings to everything it touches. Gulls circle overhead, their sharp cries slicing through the steady rush of the tide. Men are already waiting, their positions deliberate, spaced along the length of the pier.
I step out of the car, the wind moving off the water and cutting through the stillness. I adjust the cuff of my suit jacket, the quiet shift of fabric grounding me.
Tomasso falls in at my side, matching my pace as we walk the length of the dock. The old boards give faintly under our steps, the sound steady, measured, until we reach the far end.
Three men are kneeling there. Rival crew. Their wrists are bound, their heads lowered, shoulders set tight like they understand exactly where they stand.
One of my men steps forward. “Caught them trying to move the cargo inland.”
I look them over once, my gaze moving from one face to the next. “Where’s the rest?”
One of them lifts his eyes briefly, only to drop them again.
Tomasso’s voice is low, precise. “He asked you a question.”
The three remain silent, their heads bowed.
I step forward, closing the distance until my shadow falls across them. My voice drops, smooth, deliberate, carrying the weight I want them to feel. “You hit my shipment. You injured my men. And you believe silence will protect you?”
The one in the middle shifts slightly. His jaw tightens. It tells me everything I need to know. He is not talking. None of them are.
I straighten, my decision final. “Take them in. We’ll deal with them somewhere private.”
Two of my men move immediately. The sharp sound of boots striking wood fills the pier as the bound crew are dragged to their feet. They stumble but do not resist, the silence between them growing heavier with every step toward the waiting vehicles.
Tomasso falls in beside me again. His tone is clipped. “Cargo has been secured. Damaged, but intact.”
I nod once. The damage is contained. The men are in custody. The problem will not stay open for long.
Tomasso glances at me out of the corner of his eye, a faint curve of amusement at his mouth. “Still in a good mood, Gio?”
I keep my ahead. “Something like that.”
We leave the docks, the car rolling smoothly over the uneven stretch of road. The silence in the cabin is heavy, broken only by the hum of the engine.
Tomasso glances at me again, his expression knowing. “We’re heading where I think we’re heading, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” My answer is short, certain. There’s only one place to go when questions need answers and patience is already worn thin.
His mouth curves faintly, a low chuckle escaping him. “Good thinking.” He settles back against the seat like he already knows how this will end. He’s been with me long enough to remember how my father handled these situations. The place hasn’t changed. Neither has its purpose.
It’s an old network, one built carefully under my father’s hand and inherited by me. Informants tied to the streets, the ports, the crews that orbit the city’s undercurrent. They know how fartheir loyalty runs and what it costs to betray it. When my father needed names, routes, or the truth that didn’t travel through polite channels, he went there. Now I do the same.
