Chapter 8 - The Ghost of the Past
Gabriel did not speak a single word into the phone.
He simply listened to the cruel, mocking laughter echoing from the small speaker.
"You thought Sullivan was smart enough to plan this, Gabriel?" the voice asked smoothly.
Gabriel's blood ran cold as he instantly recognized the cadence and tone of the man speaking.
It was Victor, a ruthless cartel boss Gabriel had supposedly killed with his own hands ten years ago.
"You are a ghost," Gabriel whispered, his grip tightening on the plastic phone.
Victor chuckled, explaining that ghosts were uniquely qualified to tear apart the lives of the living.
Victor demanded Gabriel surrender all his shipping ports and territories by midnight.
If Gabriel refused, Victor promised to slowly execute Clare's sister on a live video feed.
The call abruptly disconnected, leaving only the dial tone ringing in the empty hospital room.
Gabriel slowly lowered the phone, his face a mask of absolute, terrifying rage.
Clare stood up from the floor, her eyes burning with tears and newfound fury.
She asked him who was on the phone and where they had taken her only family.
Gabriel told her the truth about his past, and the monster who had returned from the grave.
He explained that Victor was hiding at the abandoned shipyard on the edge of the city limits.
Gabriel loaded a fresh magazine into his weapon and warned Clare to stay behind at the hospital.
He said this was a suicide mission, and she would only get in the way of the slaughter.
Clare stepped squarely into his path, raising the pistol he had given her earlier.
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She looked him directly in the eyes and refused to be left behind.
Gabriel stared at her, finally accepting that the crying girl from his study was entirely gone.
