I kept my gun pointed directly at his chest.

“Let her go,” I said.

“We have so much to discuss,” Kane said, slowly lowering his pistol but keeping his finger on the trigger.

“I don’t talk to monsters,” I said.

“You think you’re different?” Kane asked, taking a step closer to Isabella. “You’re a mafia boss, Dante. Your hands are covered in blood.”

“I don’t hurt children,” I said.

Kane laughed, a short, dry sound.

“The children are already gone,” he said. “They are a commodity. Just like the oil, just like the real estate. It’s all the same to the people who run this city.”

“The harbor is surrounded, Kane,” I said. “My people are here.”

“Your people?” Kane said, his smile widening. “You mean your little street gang? Dante, look out the window.”

I kept my eyes on him, refusing to look away.

“The men waiting at the gate aren’t mine,” Kane said. “They are federal agents. They are on my payroll, of course, but on paper, they are here to investigate a major smuggling operation.”

He took a small remote control from his pocket and pressed a button.