Chapter Three: Smoke and Ghosts
Vincent moved like a shadow through the underworld. The bars, the backrooms, the smoke-choked card games—he wasn't invisible, just untouchable. People whispered his name like a ghost story, a cautionary tale with sharp teeth.
It didn't take long to find the cracks.
Luca Romano, flashy and ruthless, had climbed over a lot of bodies to get where he was. But he wasn't smart enough to cover his tracks. Vincent found the first thread in a dead accountant's file cabinet—records scrubbed clean, except for a single name: Detective Aaron Thorne.
Thorne had been the arresting officer on Vincent's case. He'd retired wealthy, bought a house in Florida. Funny thing, that. Cops don't retire rich unless someone pays for silence.
Vincent booked a flight.