After a few close brushes with several soldier patrols, Cyprian had reconsidered the wisdom of that decision and waited for nightfall before attempting a return to the villa. They’d located the slave trader in his holding cell near the docks. The plan they worked out was simple. Cyprian gave Felicissimus a sizable sum of money for hiring extra men to help clear the streets. After that venture was successfully under way, they would commission medical carts to patrol the slums. Meanwhile, Cyprian planned to do the hardest job alone: find enough of his father’s friends in the Senate to propose a shutdown of the trade routes and to hold the majority when Aspasius threw a fit. He’d confessed to no one that using up favors owed him to close the port rather than oust the current proconsul made him weak-kneed. But having Felicissimus shut down his personal shipping lines would not be enough. Every highway, cart rut, and footpath needed to be closed as well. Actions this drastic required government support and approval.
