Chapter 3 - The Broken Door
Sadie backed away, pressing her spine against the closet door.
"Carl, please let me go," she whispered, her voice trembling.
He dropped the gin bottle, letting it shatter against the cheap linoleum floor.
"Where did you get that kind of cash, Sadie?" he demanded, stepping closer.
He snatched the envelope from her hands before she could react.
He tore it open, his eyes widening as he saw the thick stack of hundred-dollar bills.
A cruel, mocking smile spread across his unshaven face.
"You holding out on me while I'm drowning in debt?" he yelled, backhanding her across the face.
The impact struck her bruised jaw, sending a blinding flash of white pain through her skull.
She collapsed onto the floor, tasting fresh blood in her mouth.
Carl began counting the money, laughing maniacally.
"This is perfect, Sadie, this clears my tab with the sharks down at the docks."
She realized with absolute horror that her only ticket to freedom was gone.
A primal, desperate rage ignited inside her chest.
She scrambled to her feet and lunged at him, tearing at his jacket to get the envelope back.
Carl roared in anger and wrapped his massive hands around her throat.
He slammed her against the drywall, squeezing the air from her lungs.
Her vision began to blur around the edges, tunneling into darkness.
She kicked her legs frantically, but his grip was like a steel vice.
Just as she felt her consciousness slipping away, a deafening explosion rocked the apartment.
The front door was blown completely off its hinges, splintering into a thousand pieces of shrapnel.
Four men in tactical gear flooded the tiny living room, their weapons raised.
Leo, the scarred man from the restaurant, grabbed Carl by the hair and threw him across the coffee table.
Sadie fell to the floor, gasping desperately for oxygen.
Heavy, expensive leather shoes stepped over the ruined doorway.
Ronan Hayes walked into the apartment, surveying the blood and the shattered glass.
May you like
He looked down at Carl, who was whimpering on the floor with a gun pressed to his head.
"I didn't give her that money for you to steal it, Jenkins," Ronan said softly.
