Chapter 16 - The Interrogation
|
Raymond froze, releasing Amelia’s wrist instantly.
Vincent didn't look like a businessman today. He looked like the devil himself. He had bypassed the chaos at the docks entirely, choosing to rush straight to the diner when the radio call went out, realizing instantly that the dock attack was a diversion.
“Drop the gun,” Vincent commanded quietly.
Raymond hesitated, his eyes darting frantically between Amelia and the mafia boss. “If you shoot me, my finger twitches, and the cook dies.”
“If you don't drop the gun in the next three seconds,” Vincent said, his voice as cold as absolute zero, “I will shoot your kneecaps off, and then I will slowly burn you alive on that grill. One. Two.”
Raymond dropped the revolver. It clattered loudly onto the linoleum floor.
Vincent didn't lower his weapon. He nodded to Tony, who rushed forward, kicked the gun away, and grabbed Raymond in a heavy chokehold, slamming him face-first onto the counter.
Vincent walked over to Amelia, his eyes scanning her frantically for any injuries. When he saw she was unharmed, the tension in his broad shoulders relaxed slightly, but the murderous intent in his eyes remained.
“Take him to the basement,” Vincent ordered Tony.
Ten minutes later, Amelia stood at the top of the basement stairs, listening to the heavy, brutal sounds of an interrogation. She didn't flinch. She felt a profound, chilling sense of justice.
Vincent walked up the stairs a few moments later, wiping blood from his knuckles with a pristine white handkerchief.
“He talked,” Vincent said, his expression grim. “He didn't find you on his own, Amelia. Someone tipped him off. Someone paid for his bus ticket and gave him a gun.”
Amelia frowned, confused. “Who? I don't know anyone in New York.”
May you like
“But I do,” Vincent sighed, rubbing his temples. “A rival syndicate, the Moretti family. They want my territory. They knew I placed a heavy protective detail on you. They used your past to create a distraction so they could hit my shipping yards.”
Vincent looked at her, his eyes filled with a heavy, protective sorrow. “You weren't just a target for him, Amelia. You were bait for me.”
