Chapter 14 - THE MIDNIGHT HOURThe abandoned railway terminal on the outskirts of the industrial district looked like a skeletal monument to a forgotten era. Rusted tracks cut through towering weeds, and the shattered glass skylights of the main depot cast long, skeletal shadows across the concrete floor under a pale, crescent moon.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird as I stepped out of the black SUV. The freezing midnight air bit into my skin, but the chill inside my chest was far worse.
"Stay in the comms range, Elena," Dante’s voice crackled softly through the tiny wireless earpiece hidden in my hair. "We’re positioned on the catwalks above. You are never more than ten seconds away from backup. Just walk toward the center platform and keep him talking."
I swallowed hard, pulling my wool coat tighter around me, and took a slow, deliberate step onto the cracked concrete platform. The heavy sound of my boots echoed through the cavernous, empty hall.
"I'm here!" I called out into the darkness, my voice echoing off the rusted iron beams. "Show yourself, Salvatore!"
A slow, deliberate sound of clapping echoed from the upper shadows near the control tower.
Clap... clap... clap...
"Brave girl," a raspy, gravelly voice echoed down from the darkness. "Just like your mother. She always had a stubborn streak that got her into trouble."
A tall, gaunt figure stepped out from the shadows of the rusted control booth, leaning heavily on a silver-headed cane. He wore a heavy black trench coat, his silver hair slicked back, his sharp, predatory eyes gleaming with a terrifying, familiar intelligence.
Don Salvatore Vance.
"Grandfather," I whispered, gripping the small encrypted flash drive inside my coat pocket. "You're supposed to be dead."
"Death is a very convenient tool when you have empires to build, my dear," Salvatore smiled, a cold, humorless stretching of his thin lips as he began walking slowly down the metal stairs toward the platform. "And you... you’ve grown into quite the asset. Pulling Valente’s brat from the dumpster? Brilliant move. You forced your way right into the inner circle of Chicago's most powerful man."
"I didn't plan any of this," I shot back, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You used Marcus. You used Clara's illness to smuggle drugs and ruin innocent lives!"
May you like
Salvatore chuckled, a dry, rattling sound.
"Survival requires sacrifices, Elena. Now... hand over the flash drive. And perhaps—just perhaps—I'll let your sister wake up from her surgery tomorrow."
