Chapter 5 - The Serpent's Mark
Hannah staggered backward, hitting the edge of the heavy wooden table.
"No," she gasped, her voice breaking. "Arthur would never kill a woman and a child."
Grant stared at her blurry, trembling silhouette, his mind racing to connect the pieces of his broken past.
"If Arthur was forced to plant the bomb, he was working for a rival family," Grant said quietly.
"He lied to me to protect us," Hannah sobbed, hiding her face in her hands.
Grant stood up slowly, using the edge of the chair to balance his suddenly dizzy head.
"I do not blame you for the sins of your husband, Hannah."
Before she could respond, the heavy oak door of the study flew open without a knock.
Daniel Cross marched into the room, his heavy boots echoing like gunfire.
"Why are the curtains open?" Daniel snapped, immediately walking over to pull the heavy drapes shut.
The sudden darkness plunged Grant back into total blindness, but he kept his posture perfectly relaxed.
"I wanted to feel the sun, Daniel," Grant lied easily.
Daniel turned his attention toward Hannah, who was frantically wiping her tears away.
"You are spending entirely too much time alone with the boss, housekeeper," Daniel sneered aggressively.
"She was just cleaning the silver," Grant interjected, his voice carrying the dangerous edge of a boss giving a final warning.
Daniel scoffed, stepping so close to Grant that he could smell the stale cigar smoke on his clothes.
"Dr. Hale called me this morning, extremely worried that you are missing your treatments," Daniel said.
"I will see the doctor tomorrow," Grant replied evenly.
Daniel reached out and firmly gripped Grant’s shoulder, a gesture that was far too disrespectful for a lieutenant.
As Daniel’s arm extended, his jacket sleeve pulled back slightly.
Grant’s recovering eyes caught a faint, blurry flash of dark ink on Daniel’s inner wrist in the dim light.
It was a thick, coiled shape that Grant instantly recognized even through his terrible vision.
It was the Black Serpent tattoo, the exact mark of the rival crime family that had claimed responsibility for the Pier 17 bombing.
Daniel had been working for the enemy this entire time.
"Make sure you take your medicine, Grant," Daniel whispered, patting his shoulder mockingly.
Daniel turned and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open.
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Grant turned toward Hannah, his heart pounding with cold, absolute rage.
"We have to leave this house tonight, because my own men are planning to kill me."
