Chapter 8 - The Leverage
I gasped, nearly dropping my pistol onto the wet asphalt.
My sister, Lily, was supposed to be safely away at college in California.
Detective Vance dragged her out of the trunk by her hair, pressing his service weapon to her temple.
He shouted into the foggy shipping yard, demanding Roman step out of the shadows.
Vance declared that if he did not get the encrypted flash drive from Titan’s original harness, the girl would die.
I stepped out from behind the shipping container before Roman could stop me.
Vance laughed maliciously when he saw me, clearly enjoying the absolute terror on my face.
He mocked me for trusting a crime boss to protect me from the real world.
Roman stepped out smoothly beside me, keeping his assault rifle leveled perfectly at Vance’s chest.
Roman coldly informed the detective that the flash drive had burned inside the pet store.
Vance’s arrogant smile faltered for a second.
Vance pressed the gun harder against Lily’s head, making her whimper in pain.
He told Roman that Julian would skin him alive if he did not recover the ledger of corrupt cops.
Roman took a slow, calculated step forward, completely ignoring the hostage dynamic.
He told Vance that Julian was a coward who hid behind badges and college girls.
I begged Roman to stop provoking the desperate man holding a gun to my sister.
Roman briefly glanced at me, flashing a nearly imperceptible wink.
He continued to taunt Vance, drawing all of the detective’s furious attention.
Roman’s distraction worked perfectly.
A black shadow silently launched itself from the top of the adjacent shipping container.
Titan had followed us out of the vehicle despite his fresh injury.
The massive dog hit Vance from behind, knocking the detective violently to the wet pavement.
The gun fired harmlessly into the sky as Vance screamed under the crushing weight of the animal.
I sprinted forward and pulled Lily away from the struggle, quickly cutting her zip-ties with a pocket knife.
Roman walked over to Vance, kicking the detective’s fallen weapon off the pier and into the dark water.
He ordered Titan to heel, and the dog immediately returned to my side.
Roman grabbed Vance by the throat and hauled him to his feet.
He demanded to know exactly which ship Julian was arriving on tonight.
Vance spat blood onto Roman’s expensive coat and laughed hysterically.
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He told Roman that Julian wasn't arriving on a ship.
Vance revealed that Julian had been hiding in Boston for a month, living right inside Roman’s own penthouse.
