Chapter 3 - THE ALLEYWAY AT 3 AM
The rain had softened into a thick, clinging fog by the time Maya finished her shift at Belladonna.
Her uniform coat offered little warmth against the damp autumn wind as she walked down the narrow service alley behind the restaurant toward the subway station. Her body ached. Her feet burned.
In her coat pocket, her fingers brushed against the receipt Daniel Cross had signed.
Find out why she is working here.
Who was he? She knew his face from local business journals, though those articles never mentioned the whisper that ran through the city—that Daniel Cross was the unspoken ruler of Chicago's underworld, a man who controlled shipping docks, real estate, and judges with equal efficiency.
A heavy footstep echoed behind her in the dark alley.
Maya stopped. Her hand gripped her pepper spray inside her pocket. "Who's there?"
Two men stepped out from the shadow of a large trash compactor. They wore dark leather jackets and baseball caps pulled low over their faces.
"Dr. Lin," the taller man said, his voice raspy. "You're a very difficult woman to track down."
Maya backed away, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I don't know who you are."
"Mr. Gregory Vance sends his regards," the second man said, pulling a heavy silver silenced pistol from his coat. "He wants the flash drive your father gave you before his flight took off."
"I don't have it," Maya said, her voice remarkably steady despite the terror cold in her gut. "I gave it to a federal prosecutor six months ago."
The tall man laughed dryly. "Nice try, sweetheart. The federal prosecutor died in a hit-and-run four months ago. We know you still have the encryption key. Give it to us, and we make this quick."
He raised the weapon.
A quiet metallic thwip sounded through the foggy air.
The gunman choked, dropping his pistol as he stumbled backward, clutching a small black dart stuck into his neck. He hit the wet asphalt hard.
The taller man spun around in shock. "What the—!"
Before he could pull his own weapon, a dark shape stepped out of the heavy fog behind him. A large hand gripped his throat from behind, slamming him violently against the brick wall of the alley.
Daniel Cross stood in the dim streetlamp light, his tailored coat immaculate, his face devoid of emotion.
Beside him stood Marcus Reed, holding a tactical stun-gun.
"I believe the lady asked you to leave," Daniel said softly, his grip tightening around the man's neck until his eyes bulged.
"Cross..." the man gasped out, recognizing the face. "This... this is Vanguard business... stay out of it..."
Daniel leaned in close, his voice dropping into a lethal whisper. "In this city, everything is my business. Tell Gregory Vance that if he sends another hitman into my district, I won't send his men back on their feet."
Daniel tossed the man into the trash heap like a sack of wet laundry. The man scrambled up, bleeding, grabbed his unconscious partner, and dragged him frantically toward a waiting black sedan at the end of the street.
Silence returned to the alley, save for the dripping rain.
Maya stood pressed against the brick wall, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her pepper spray still clutched in her trembling hand.
Daniel turned to face her. He adjusted his silk tie, his dark eyes studying her in the yellow light.
"You're late for the subway, Dr. Lin," Daniel said calmly.
May you like
Maya stared at him, her chest heaving. "How... how do you know my real name?"
"Because when a waitress tells my business partner to regret everything," Daniel said, taking a step toward her, "I like to know who is giving the orders."
