Chapter 2 - The Ghost
Amara drove an untraceable cash-rental sedan through the flooded streets of Chicago.
She knew Dante would lock down the city airports and train stations within the hour.
She had to disappear into the underground network he couldn't control.
Her phone buzzed repeatedly in the passenger seat.
Seventeen missed calls from her husband.
She rolled the window down and threw the expensive device into the Chicago River.
She drove toward the industrial district, pulling into an abandoned warehouse.
A man in a dark coat was waiting under a flickering streetlamp.
He was a smuggler named Elias, someone she had paid a fortune to secure her a fake passport.
Amara stepped out of the car, clutching the duffel bag tightly against her side.
"Do you have the documents?" she asked over the sound of the rain.
Elias smiled, but the expression did not reach his cold eyes.
"I have them, Mrs. Moretti, but the price just went up."
He pulled a silenced pistol from his coat pocket and aimed it at her pregnant belly.
"Your husband just offered two million dollars to anyone who brings you back alive."
Amara froze, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"He doesn't care about me," Amara said, trying to keep her voice steady.
"He only cares about what is in this bag."
Elias took a step closer, gesturing with the gun.
"Then drop the bag and get in my trunk."
A sudden gunshot shattered the quiet night.
Elias gasped, dropping his weapon as a bullet tore through his shoulder.
He collapsed to the wet pavement.
May you like
A tall figure stepped out from the shadows behind the warehouse.
"My brother always was too generous with his bounties," the man said smoothly.
