Contents
Chapter 20
Overview
Ace, Romeo, and Keres reach Harrisburg and confront laundromat owner Jeremiah Boone. Keres violently interrogates Boone about Oscar Lang’s partner, extracting only that Boone worked with Lang and Dominik Pushkin.
Unable to get the partner’s name, Romeo ends Boone’s life. The trio seize a suspect DVD, arrange cleanup, and resolve to pursue new leads from Lorenzo, while Keres’s trauma briefly surfaces.
Summary
Ace, Romeo, and Keres arrive in Harrisburg after an all-night drive and target a laundromat owned by Jeremiah Boone, a lead tied to Oscar Lang. Using a delivery ruse, Ace forces entry, breaks Boone’s nose, and pushes him upstairs, where violent porn plays on the TV, unsettling Keres and inflaming her resolve.
Keres confronts Boone about connections to Oscar Lang’s trafficking network. Boone first denies involvement, but under threat admits he worked with Lang in Boston, claiming he handled parts unrelated to “the kids” and knows only Lang and Dominik Pushkin. Keres presses for the identity of Lang’s partner and cites names including Salvatore Moretti and the Santangelos, which shocks Ace and Romeo, who doubt their bosses’ involvement.
When Boone continues to insist he does not know the partner, Keres escalates the torture, breaking his knees and ultimately cutting out his tongue after a final warning. Ace concludes Boone genuinely lacks the name and urges Keres to stop. Romeo then slit’s Boone’s throat, ending the interrogation.
Reassessing, Ace proposes contacting Lorenzo for further leads and orders cleanup through Moretti resources. Romeo grabs the suspicious DVD for analysis in case it contains clues. Keres, shaken yet guarded, refuses to talk about her past, while Ace recognizes the depth of her trauma and his growing, dangerous attachment.
Who Appears
- AceNarrator; leads the Harrisburg operation, forces entry, manages Keres and Romeo, orders cleanup, and takes the DVD for analysis.
- Keres SiderisInterrogates and tortures Boone seeking Lang’s partner; reveals deep trauma, briefly vulnerable, then shuts down.
- RomeoBacks Ace, expresses disgust at the video, retrieves the DVD, and kills Boone after the failed interrogation.
- Jeremiah BooneLaundromat owner and lead; admits working with Oscar Lang and Dominik Pushkin but not the partner; dies under interrogation.
- LorenzoOff-page handler providing leads; Ace plans to check back for next steps after Boone yields nothing.