Chapter 5 - RAZER’S MISTAKE|
At 2:00 AM, the air in the abandoned industrial district was freezing.
Razer Rodriguez stepped out of his black Escalade, flanked by six heavily armed bodyguards. Razer was thirty-five, wore too much expensive jewelry, and suffered from the fatal delusion that he was the biggest fish in Chicago.
Vincent Torino was waiting for him near a row of rusted shipping containers, illuminated only by the headlights of his own vehicles.
"Torino," Razer chuckled, crossing his arms. "You called an emergency meeting over two of my guys? I hear you got Carlos and Miguel locked up. Word on the street is you're getting soft, old man. Crying over some florist?"
Vincent didn't move. He stood with his hands tucked into his coat pockets.
"Her name is Elena Martinez," Vincent said evenly. "And her daughter is seven years old."
"I don't give a damn about her name!" Razer spat on the ground. "She owed protection money. In this city, you don't pay, you get hurt. That's business."
"No," Vincent replied softly. "That was your business. As of five minutes ago, your business is bankrupt."
Vincent signaled with his left hand.
From the shadows surrounding the shipping containers, twenty men stepped out. They didn't hold handguns; they carried submachine guns, silent and fully aimed at Razer’s crew.
Razer’s bodyguards froze, their hands hovering inches away from their holsters. The smug smile wiped completely clean from Razer’s face.
"You... you're starting a gang war over a random woman?" Razer stammered, stepping back against his SUV.
"I’m not starting a war, Razer," Vincent said, walking directly up to Razer until their chests almost touched. "A war implies both sides have a chance of winning. I am simply cleaning up trash."
May you like
Vincent leaned in, his voice cutting like a razor.
"By sunrise, every dollar your crew stole from Halsted Street will be returned double. If you or any of your men walk on her block again, I won't send you to prison. I will make sure you disappear so completely your own mother will forget you existed."
