Chapter 17
The aftermath of the night in the redwoods effectively ended the war. With Volkov dead in his convoy and Marcus silenced, the remaining factions of the Russian syndicate scattered, terrified of the brutal efficiency with which Silas Thorne had dismantled their leadership in a single evening.
But for Silas, the victory meant nothing if he didn't follow through on his promise to Harper.
Two weeks later, back at the heavily repaired Pacific estate, Silas called a meeting of the Five Families—the ruling council of the West Coast syndicates. They gathered in the massive formal dining room, a dozen hardened criminals sitting uncomfortably under the watchful, icy gaze of Silas Thorne and the massive, heavily-muscled hound sitting obediently at his side.
Harper remained upstairs, pacing nervously. She knew what Silas was doing, and she knew how dangerous it was.
"Gentlemen," Silas began, standing at the head of the table. He didn't raise his voice, but the absolute authority in his tone demanded utter silence. "The Thorne syndicate is restructuring. Effective immediately, we are pulling out of all illicit port activities, weapons smuggling, and extortion."
A murmur of shock and anger rippled through the table. An older boss from San Francisco slammed his fist down. "You can't just walk away from billions in revenue, Silas! The Italians will sweep in and take the territory!"
"They can try," Silas replied, a chilling smile touching the corners of his mouth. "I am transitioning my assets into legitimate real estate and logistics. I have compiled a comprehensive ledger detailing the offshore accounts, bribes, and operational secrets of every man in this room."
He tossed a small encrypted hard drive onto the center of the mahogany table.
"If anyone attempts to move on my territory, or if anyone breathes a word of a threat toward my home or my family, that drive goes directly to the FBI director," Silas promised. "You will leave me alone, and I will leave you alone. We are businessmen now. Do we have an understanding?"
The bosses stared at the drive, the silence heavy with the realization that they had been checkmated. Silas had weaponized their own secrets to buy his freedom. One by one, they nodded.
When the last car pulled out of the estate gates, Silas walked upstairs to the master suite. Harper was waiting by the window, looking out over the crashing ocean.
May you like
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her head. "It's done," he whispered, a profound exhaustion and a profound relief bleeding into his voice. "The Thorne syndicate is dead. I’m just a civilian now."
Harper turned around, tears shining in her eyes, and held him tight. "You’re not just a civilian. You’re mine."
