Chapter 2 - The Missing Brother
Victor did not waste a single second asking useless questions.
He grabbed his tailored suit jacket and a set of car keys from the dresser.
"Come with me," he ordered, leading her swiftly down the private back staircase.
Chloe followed him blindly, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
They bypassed the main garage and entered a highly secure underground parking level.
Victor gestured toward a sleek, armored black SUV waiting in the shadows.
"My security network is already pulling traffic camera footage around the hospital," he assured her.
"Tommy is too sick to be wandering the streets in this freezing rain," Chloe cried.
Victor handed her a warm cashmere blanket from the backseat to stop her violent shivering.
"He did not leave because he was wandering," Victor noted astutely.
"What do you mean?" she asked, clutching the blanket tightly around her shoulders.
"A teenage boy with massive medical debt does not run away unless he thinks he found a solution," Victor explained grimly.
Chloe felt a sickening wave of realization crash heavily over her.
Tommy had repeatedly talked about wanting to fix their financial problems himself.
Victor's dashboard screen flashed brightly with an incoming encrypted call.
"Speak," Victor commanded as he sped recklessly onto the wet highway.
"Boss, we found the kid on a street camera near the South Side docks," a gruff voice reported.
"Who is he meeting?" Victor demanded, his jaw tightening visibly.
"He walked into a pawn shop owned by Dante Moretti," the voice revealed.
Victor slammed his fist hard against the steering wheel, cursing loudly in Italian.
Chloe shrank back against the leather seat, absolutely terrified by his sudden rage.
"Who is Dante Moretti?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He is a ruthless loan shark and the head of my biggest rival family," Victor ground out.
"My brother is just a sick kid, he doesn't know anything about the mafia," Chloe pleaded.
"Moretti does not care about age, Bennett, he only cares about leverage," Victor stated coldly.
The heavy SUV screeched to a violent halt in front of a dilapidated, neon-lit pawn shop.
Victor reached under his seat and pulled out a heavy, dark handgun.
He tucked the weapon smoothly into his waistband before turning to look at her.
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"Do not leave this vehicle under any circumstances," he ordered strictly.
Victor stepped out into the pouring rain and kicked the heavy front door of the shop entirely off its hinges.
