Chapter 9 - The Insider
Norah froze completely, clutching the burner phone tightly to her ear in the freezing rain.
"Leo?" she breathed, recognizing his voice instantly.
There was a sharp, panicked intake of breath on the other end of the line.
"Norah," the restaurant manager said, his voice instantly turning icy cold.
"You weren't supposed to survive the car crash."
Dominic snatched the phone smoothly from Norah's hand, pressing it to his own ear.
"You work for Silas," Dominic deduced instantly, his voice dripping with deadly calm.
Leo let out a nervous, jagged laugh that sounded entirely unhinged.
"Silas pays significantly better than you do, Dominic."
"He needed someone on the inside to closely monitor Valerie's daily movements."
"He needed someone to carefully orchestrate a highly public conflict."
Norah's mind spun wildly as the terrifying pieces finally locked perfectly together.
"You intentionally assigned Lily to Valerie's table tonight," Norah realized aloud.
"You knew Lily was clumsy, and you knew Valerie would inevitably snap."
"You entirely created the fight to give Silas a public motive to frame me."
Leo didn't even attempt to deny it.
"It was absolutely perfect theater," he bragged from the safety of the phone line.
"Silas is waiting for you right now at the central warehouse on Pier 4."
"Bring the coat, or the Senator's people will start dropping off the roof."
The line went entirely dead.
Dominic crushed the plastic burner phone in his massive hand and tossed it carelessly into the gutter.
He looked sternly at Norah and Lily.
"You two are staying right here."
"I am going to the pier completely alone."
Norah shook her head with fierce, unyielding stubbornness.
"If you go alone, Silas will just kill you and the hostages anyway."
"He wants the woman who humiliated Valerie."
"He wants me as much as he wants you."
"I am coming with you."
Dominic stepped closer to her, the heavy rain plastering his dark hair to his forehead.
"I will absolutely not let you die for my family's past sins."
"I made my choice to protect Lily," Norah fired back, stepping boldly into his personal space.
"Now I am making the conscious choice to help you finish this nightmare."
Dominic stared down at her fiercely determined face.
He had never truly trusted anyone outside of his inner circle, but looking at Norah, he realized she was the most reliable person he had ever met.
"Fine," Dominic finally conceded roughly.
"But Lily absolutely stays behind."
Lily nodded aggressively, tears mixing heavily with the freezing rain on her cheeks.
"I'll hide in the abandoned subway station two blocks from here," the teenager promised frantically.
"I won't make a single sound."
Dominic handed Lily a small silver pocketknife for basic protection.
He checked his ammunition quickly, his face settling into a terrifying mask of pure violence.
They left Lily hiding safely in the shadows and drove the stolen car straight toward Pier 4.
The warehouse was a massive concrete structure looming ominously over the black water of Lake Michigan.
Armed men actively patrolled the high metal catwalks above the main entrance.
Dominic parked the car a block away and grabbed an assault rifle from the trunk.
"We go quietly through the loading bay," he instructed.
They sneaked carefully past the perimeter guards and slipped through a broken ventilation grate.
Inside, the warehouse was brightly lit and heavily guarded.
Silas stood arrogantly on a raised metal platform, surrounded by a dozen armed mercenaries.
Kneeling on the floor directly in front of Silas were the five terrified campaign workers.
And standing right next to Silas, holding a suppressed pistol, was Leo.
"I knew you wouldn't miss a family reunion, Dom," Silas yelled gleefully.
"Bring me the coat."
Dominic stepped boldly out of the shadows, aiming his rifle directly at Silas's chest.
"Let them go first," Dominic demanded loudly.
May you like
Silas smiled cruelly, casually raising his hand.
"Kill the manager," Silas ordered his men without hesitation.
