Chapter 4 - The Unseen ShieldMaya refused the envelope that day. She told him she couldn't take money from a man whose name was whispered in fear across every precinct in New York. Raphael didn't argue. He picked up the envelope, nodded once with a strange mixture of respect and disappointment, and walked out.
Yet, subtle changes began to happen around the clinic.
The city inspector who had threatened to shut them down over minor code violations suddenly granted an extension, citing "administrative oversight." The local street toughs who usually loitered by the alleyway, making clients nervous, vanished overnight. And when a delivery of expensive surgical equipment arrived anonymously on Thursday morning, the invoice simply read: Paid in full.
Maya knew. There was no mistaking who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
One evening, as she locked up and walked toward the subway station, a pair of rough-looking men stepped out from a shadowy stoop, blocking her path. Their intentions were clear before they even opened their mouths.
"Hey sweetheart, nice night for a walk," one sneered, reaching out a heavy hand toward her arm.
Before his fingers could graze her jacket, a heavy hand gripped the man's wrist from behind with bone-crushing force.
"Move along," a low, gravelly voice commanded. It was one of Raphael's bodyguards—a towering wall of muscle named Paulie, whom Maya had briefly seen standing outside the SUV.
The two street men took one look at Paulie's cold, dead-eyed stare, muttered an apology under their breath, and scattered down the block like frightened rats. Paulie tipped his chin respectfully toward Maya. "Mr. Marino wants to make sure you get home safe, Miss Foster."
May you like
Maya exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Tell him... tell him I appreciate it, but I can handle myself."
"Mr. Marino doesn't take chances," Paulie replied quietly.
