Chapter 1 - The Interruption
Roland Pike stepped off the elevator with a cruel scowl on his face.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the massive dog ignoring all commands.
He looked from the giant animal to the disabled woman kneeling on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Pike snapped.
Marin flinched and quickly pulled her trembling hand away from Titan's broad head.
She tried to push herself up from the polished marble floor.
Her bad leg immediately betrayed her, causing her to stumble sideways.
Dorian Vance moved faster than any man his size should be able to move.
He caught Marin by the elbow before she could hit the ground.
Pike finally recognized the tall man in the charcoal overcoat standing in front of him.
All the color instantly drained from the cruel supervisor's sweaty face.
He stammered and tried to apologize to the billionaire owner of the building.
Dorian did not even bother looking at the pathetic man.
He simply raised his free hand and snapped his fingers once.
Two men in tailored suits stepped out from the shadows of the corridor.
"Remove Mr. Pike from my building," Dorian said in a calm, lethal voice.
"And make sure he never finds work in this city again."
Pike tried to scream, but one of the men clamped a heavy hand over his mouth.
They dragged him backward into the elevator and the stainless steel doors slid shut.
Marin stared at Dorian with a mixture of profound gratitude and absolute terror.
She knew the stories about the ruthless king of the Chicago underworld.
Nobody survived crossing Dorian Vance.
"Thank you," Marin whispered softly.
She reached up to adjust the collar of her faded gray uniform.
As she moved, a thin silver chain slipped out from beneath her shirt.
Dorian's eyes immediately locked onto the cracked wristwatch dangling from the chain.
The air in the hallway suddenly grew freezing cold.
Dorian stepped closer, completely ignoring his massive dog.
He stared at the broken dial of the watch and the unique engraving on the side.
There was only one man in the world who owned a timepiece exactly like that.
"Where did you get that watch?" Dorian asked.
Marin backed away, clutching the piece of jewelry tightly to her chest.
"It belonged to my late husband," she answered defensively.
Dorian's jaw tightened as the ghosts of his violent past suddenly flooded back.
May you like
He looked directly into her terrified eyes and spoke a name that made her heart stop.
"Your husband was Daniel Caldwell."
