Chapter 1 - The Descent into the Maybach
The damp Chicago air bit at Nora’s skin as she stepped out of the apartment building, her sneakers making a soft squelch against the cracked pavement. The matte-black Maybach loomed like a monolith against the dreary backdrop of the South Side.
Before Nora could reach for the handle, the rear door glided open silently, revealing an interior bathed in amber LED light and the rich scent of aged leather and expensive cologne.
"Step in, Ms. Callahan," a deep voice resonated from the shadows of the backseat.
Adrian Hargrove sat with his legs crossed, resting one hand on a gold-capped cane. His tailored suit was immaculate, completely out of place in a neighborhood where most cars lacked hubcaps. Up close, his eyes were sharp, calculating, and impossible to read.
"I hope your driver knows the way back," Nora said, sliding onto the plush leather seat and pulling her worn jacket tighter around herself. "Because I have a 7:00 AM shift at the clinic tomorrow, and I don't plan on staying out past midnight."
Adrian offered a faint, humorless smile. "Time is a flexible concept when you’re dining with a Hargrove, Nora. And let’s dispense with the pretense. You didn’t just save my mother’s life today by performing a textbook emergency tracheostomy in a crowded grocery store aisle. You also happened to find something she dropped."
Nora’s heart skipped a beat, but her face remained deadpan. "I found an old silver locket. It’s sitting on my kitchen counter."
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"And tomorrow morning, someone else would have found it—someone who wouldn't have been nearly as honest," Adrian murmured, leaning forward as the partition window slid down. "Drive, Marcus."
The car glided into the wet Chicago night, accelerating effortlessly toward the glittering, unreachable towers of the Loop.
