Chapter 6 - The Shadows Return
Three weeks later.
The threat of Councilman Peters had been eliminated, but in the complex, brutal underworld of Detroit, a vacuum of power never remained empty for long.
The fall of Peters had exposed a massive international smuggling network operated by the Romanov syndicate—a powerful, ruthless Russian crime family based out of Chicago that had been using Detroit’s northern shipping ports to transport illegal weapons and unregistered capital.
Inside the high-tech conference room on the fifty-fifth floor of Blackwood Tower, Julian sat at the head of a long mahogany table.
On the digital display board hung live satellite maps of the Port of Detroit, alongside intelligence dossiers on Nikolai Romanov—the unpredictable, violent leader of the Chicago syndicate.
"Nikolai arrived in Detroit two nights ago," Marcus reported, swiping his tablet to bring up a surveillance photograph of a tall, scarred man stepping out of a private jet. "He’s furious about Peters’ arrest. The federal seizure of the 2019 ledger cost the Romanov family over forty million dollars in frozen assets."
"Does he know where the ledger came from?" Julian asked, his voice calm, his eyes fixed on Nikolai’s dossier.
"He knows Naomi Vance was the whistleblower’s sister," Marcus revealed grimly. "And his men have been asking questions around the East Ward about where Naomi and her children went after the meatpacking plant raid."
Julian’s jaw tightened. "They're staying in the penthouse."
"Julian," Marcus said cautiously. "Naomi and the kids have been living in your home for three weeks. They're safe here, but as long as Nikolai is in the city, any place associated with you is a potential target. Nikolai doesn't respect the old blood codes. He targets families."
Julian slowly stood up from the table. He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, looking down at the snow-covered streets below.
In the three weeks since Christmas Eve, his dark, solitary penthouse had transformed. The sound of children's laughter echoed through the halls. Jonah had taken to following Julian around whenever he was home, holding his toy trains, while Pearl spent her evenings reading in the library, asking Julian complex questions about history and finance that amazed him.
And Naomi... Naomi had brought a quiet, graceful warmth back into his life that he had thought dead forever.
Julian turned back to Marcus, his gray eyes turning cold as ice.
"Call a meeting with the port authorities," Julian commanded smoothly. "And send a message to Nikolai Romanov. Tell him Julian Blackwood wants to discuss a settlement."
Marcus frowned, surprised. "A settlement, Boss? You never negotiate with syndicates."
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Julian pulled a sleek silver pocket watch from his vest—a gift Pearl had given him for his birthday the week before—and snapped it shut with a sharp click.
"I am not negotiating a settlement, Marcus," Julian growled softly. "I am setting a trap."
