Chapter 8 - The Ghost of Marseille
The private jet sliced through the midnight clouds at forty thousand feet, its cabin bathed in a dim, amber glow. Across the mahogany table, Viktor laid out a sprawling array of digital blueprints, satellite maps, and decrypted intercepted communications.
Constantine sat in silence, pouring a glass of amber bourbon. His knuckles were white as he clutched the crystal tumbler.
"The Syndicate hasn't operated on American soil in twelve years," Viktor said, tracing a scarred finger across a map of Boston's industrial shipping terminals. "Not since you dismantled their East Coast pipeline. But they've adapted. They aren't using traditional foot soldiers anymore. They’re using a private security firm out of Zurich called Aegis Corp. High-tech mercenaries, satellite-linked comms, and untraceable weapons."
"Who leads them?" Constantine asked, his voice steady.
"That's the kicker," Viktor muttered, sliding a single photograph across the table. "Look familiar?"
The photograph showed a tall, silver-haired man in an expensive Savile Row suit stepping off a Gulfstream at Logan International Airport. His face bore a long, jagged scar running from his left ear down to his collarbone—a parting gift Constantine had given him in the burning warehouses of Marseille a decade ago.
"Julian Vance," Constantine breathed, the name carrying the weight of a blood oath. "I left him for dead in the Mediterranean."
"Well, Vance is remarkably resilient," Viktor replied. "And he's not just here for revenge. The Syndicate wants the Boston port infrastructure back. With Moretti gone, Vance is stepping in to take personal control of the territory. And he knows the fastest way to break you is to take away what you found in the dark."
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Constantine set his glass down. The amber liquid didn't spill a drop.
"He thinks I'm a family man now. He thinks the lake house made me soft," Constantine said, a dangerous, cold smile touching the corner of his mouth. "He's about to find out that a wolf doesn't forget how to hunt just because he found a safe den."
