Chapter 33
Vance choked,
his face turning a deep shade of purple as he stared into Harrison's merciless eyes.
"You...
won't kill me,"
Vance wheezed out,
a pathetic attempt at bravado still lingering in his voice.
"You are a public figure now,
the guardian of hope."
Harrison let out a short,
bitter laugh that sent shivers down Vance's spine.
"The city thinks I am a guardian,"
Harrison murmured,
"but you know exactly who I used to be."
"And believe me,
Vance,
that man is very close to the surface right now."
Marcus walked over,
holding a pair of heavy steel handcuffs,
his expression unreadable.
"The police are on their way,
Harrison,"
Marcus said softly,
offering a gentle warning.
"Elena tipped off the chief of police,
they will be here in five minutes."
Harrison stared at Vance for a long moment,
the internal struggle between his past ruthlessness and his present path playing out in his mind.
He looked around the warehouse at the fallen criminals,
realizing that killing Vance here would only validate the cycle of violence he sought to break.
With a disgusted grunt,
Harrison threw Vance onto the floor,
allowing Marcus to step in and clamp the cuffs onto the older man's wrists.
Vance lay on the concrete,
coughing violently,
but his eyes still held a venomous,
hateful glare.
"This is not over,"
Vance hissed as Marcus dragged him to his feet.
"My lawyers will have me out before breakfast,
and then I am coming for your family."
Harrison stepped closer,
his presence towering over the defeated crime lord.
"Your lawyers cannot help you this time,"
Harrison stated coldly.
"Elena spent the night uncovering every single bank account you used to bribe that judge."
"The federal government is freezing your assets as we speak,"
he continued,
watching the color drain from Vance's face.
"You are not just going back to prison,
Vance,"
Harrison added,
"you are going away broke,
powerless,
and forgotten."
The distant wail of police sirens began to echo through the harbor,
growing louder with every passing second.
Harrison turned away from Vance,
heading toward the warehouse exit without looking back.
"Let us go,
Marcus,"
Harrison said,
"our work here is done."
They slipped through the side door just as the first police cruisers pulled into the shipping yard,
their red and blue lights flashing against the fog.
As they walked back to their vehicle,
Harrison felt a slight easing of the tension in his shoulders,
but he knew the roots of corruption ran deep.
He climbed into the passenger seat,
looking at his hands,
thankful that they were not stained with fresh blood tonight.
"He is taken care of,"
Marcus said as he started the engine,
turning the car back toward the estate.
"Yes,"
Harrison agreed,
looking out at the dark harbor,
May you like
"but we must remain vigilant,
always."
