The red emergency beacon mounted above the heavy iron cell block tier didn’t just flash; it hummed with a low, agonizing frequency that vibrated straight through Leo Vance’s teeth.
The entire wing of the maximum-security federal facility had been shoved into absolute, unyielding blackout for the last three hours. Outside the reinforced slit windows, the distant, frantic wail of local police cruisers and transport vehicles cut through the midnight air, signaling a massive, city-wide catastrophe. Rumors traveled faster than a shiv blade in a place like this. By the time the guards had locked down the tiers and abandoned the floor to secure the outer gates, the word had already rippled through the pipes: the Alighieri penthouse had fallen. A multi-billion-dollar mafia empire had been torn to
