Chapter 2 - The Mother’s NightmareAcross the restaurant, hidden behind a tall wooden partition in the alcove, Elena Carter dropped her sponge.
The soapy water sloshed over the rim of the bucket, soaking her worn sneakers. Her chest heaved. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Where is she?
When the babysitter texted two hours ago canceling, Elena had no choice. Bring Rory to work or lose the shift. She had set the little girl up in the cramped back office with a box of Crayola markers and a coloring book, making her promise—cross-her-heart-and-hope-to-die—not to step foot in the main dining room.
Sterling hated kids. Sterling hated poor people. Sterling especially hated anyone who reminded him of his financial obligations.
Then she heard the commotion. The sudden hush. The whispers of “That’s Vincent Kane.”
And then, a tiny, crystal-clear voice saying: “You’re the only person nobody laughs around.”
Elena’s blood ran cold. She had sprinted from the prep kitchen, her hands still wet with bleach, ready to throw herself between her daughter and the most ruthless mob boss in the Midwest. But as she peeked around the partition, terror glued her feet to the floor.
Vincent Kane was kneeling.
The man who owned half the shipping ports, downtown high-rises, and underground syndicates in Illinois was down on one knee on the filthy restaurant floor, looking directly into her four-and-a-half-year-old daughter's eyes.
"Mom’s gonna be so mad," Rory whispered, looking up at Vincent with total, unshakeable innocence.
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Vincent didn't smile, but the cruel, predatory lines around his mouth softened just a fraction. He reached out—a hand calloused from decades of violence and power—and gently straightened the hood of Rory’s red sweatshirt.
"Your mother," Vincent said quietly, "is about to have a very interesting afternoon."
