Chapter 15 - The Vanguard’s Overture
Peace in the underworld, however, is never permanent; it is merely a pause between storms.
Late one evening, after Lily had fallen fast asleep in her room, I sat alone in my private study. The room was dark, illuminated only by the green glow of a secure tactical monitor on my desk. Thorne stood silently in the shadows near the door, holding a newly decrypted intelligence report.
"Speak, Thorne," I commanded, not taking my eyes off the data stream scrolling across the glass.
"We have a situation in the eastern sector, boss," Thorne reported, his voice low and measured. "With Richard Sterling’s corporate assets dissolved and his distribution networks left vacant, a regional syndicate known as the Vanguard Cartel has started moving into our territory. They think the vacuum left by our 'restructuring' means we're vulnerable."
I leaned back in my leather chair, a cold, predatory smile slowly spreading across my face. The Vanguard Cartel. A collection of ambitious, short-sighted thugs who believed they could pick the bones of an empire they didn't even understand.
"How many shipments have they intercepted?" I asked calmly.
"Two," Thorne replied. "They hit a munitions convoy near the border yesterday morning. They thought they were stealing from an independent contractor. They had no idea it belonged to us."
I stood up, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the dark, sprawling mountain range. "Greed is a predictable disease, Thorne. People see an empty chair at the table and assume the king has abdicated."
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"Shall I mobilize the strike teams?" Thorne asked, his hand resting casually near his sidearm. "We can wipe their leadership out before the sun comes up."
"No," I said, my voice dropping into a sub-zero chill. "An immediate strike is too merciful. Let them take a few more trucks. Let them build their confidence. Make them believe they are winning the war. When they are bloated with arrogance and gathered for their grand regional summit next week... that is when we close the trap."
