Chapter 4 - Inside the Obsidian CabinMina hesitated for half a second, then slid across the plush leather seat, pulling the heavy door shut behind her. The interior smelled of expensive leather, rain, and a faint trace of clove cigarettes.
Carmela sat in the corner of the backseat. The cream-colored coat was gone, replaced by a tailored charcoal wool suit that hid the bandages on her side. Her silver hair was pinned back with severe elegance, and her dark eyes were as sharp as broken glass.
In the front seat, two men sat in absolute silence. One of them had the broad shoulders and thick neck of the bouncer from the café, though today he wore a crisp chauffeur’s uniform.
“You’re very bold for a girl with forty-three dollars,” Carmela said, her lips curving into a dry smile.
“How do you know how much money I have?” Mina demanded, clutching the envelope.
“It’s my business to know things. And it’s your business to survive them.” Carmela gestured to the envelope in Mina’s hands. “Is it enough?”
“For now,” Mina whispered, her defiance cracking slightly. “Why are you giving me this?”
“Because in my world, loyalty is the rarest currency on earth. You traded yours for a cup of coffee and a mop bucket last night. I reward investments.” Carmela leaned forward, the faint scent of danger washing over Mina. “Now, I need a favor in return.”
“I’m not a criminal, Carmela. I work at a greasy-spoon café.”
“You think I’m asking you to plant a bomb?” Carmela let out a low, gravelly chuckle. “No. I need eyes and ears in a place my people can’t reach without starting an outright war. The North Side docks. Specifically, the shipping manifests at Pier 42.”
“Pier 42? That’s city property! That’s customs territory!”
“That is precisely why my men cannot walk through the front gate in broad daylight,” Carmela said smoothly. “Whereas a tired college-age girl delivering catering orders to the night shift security guards? No one looks twice at her.”
Mina stared at her. The sheer audacity of the proposal took her breath away.
“And if I say no?”
May you like
Carmela reached out and gently tapped the manila envelope in Mina’s lap.
“Then you take your forty-three dollars back to the hospital, watch your brother suffer, and wonder for the rest of your life what would have happened if you had taken a gamble on the devil.”
