Chapter 4 - The Reunion in the ShadowsTwenty miles away, the underground sports complex was burning.
Smoke billowed through the shattered double doors as sirens wailed in the distance. Liam sprinted out of the loading dock, holding Maisie’s hand tightly as they stumbled into the alleyway. Behind them, barking echoed through the concrete corridors—not an aggressive snarl, but a joyful, eager yip.
Cyrus bounded out of the smoke, leaping over a pile of debris. He skidded to a halt in front of Maisie, panting heavily, his tail wagging so hard his entire back end swayed. In his jaws, he carried something heavy wrapped in a blood-stained canvas cloth: the steel briefcase containing Julian Hart’s million dollars.
"Good boy," Maisie breathed, kneeling down to bury her hands in his thick, coarse fur. "We need to get out of here. My brother's phone is ringing off the hook."
Liam pulled his cell phone from his pocket, his hands shaking so badly he nearly dropped it. The screen flashed with an incoming call from an unknown, encrypted satellite number.
"Answer it," a calm, chillingly familiar voice said from the speaker before Liam even pressed the button.
Liam froze, holding the phone away from his ear as if it were a venomous snake. "Who is this?"
"Tell your sister she did a good job taking care of my dog," Kayla’s voice came through clearly, cutting through the wail of approaching police sirens. "And tell Julian Hart that his time is up. I'm coming home."
"Kayla?" Liam stared at the screen in utter bewilderment. "The widow from number forty-two? What are you talking about?"
"I'm not a widow, Liam," Kayla said quietly. "And Richard didn't die of natural causes ten years ago. Julian Hart murdered him. Now, put Maisie and the dog in a cab, head to Ashgrove Street, and lock your doors. It's going to get loud."
The line went dead.
Liam stared blankly at the screen, his mind racing. The quiet, soft-spoken neighbor who baked cookies and tended her garden was gone. In her place was a ghost from the criminal underworld, returning to settle a decade-old blood debt.
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"Liam? What did she say?" Maisie asked, tilting her head, her sharp ears catching the faint hum of an approaching black SUV idling at the end of the alley.
"She said we're going home," Liam whispered, pulling his sister behind a concrete pillar. "And someone is about to pay for everything."
