Chapter 4 - The Ghost of the Past
Clara did not flinch when I pointed my weapon at her.
Avery and Sophie peaked out from behind the bookcase, crying out for me to lower the gun.
I refused to lower my guard, keeping my finger resting dangerously close to the trigger.
"My real name is Elena," she confessed quietly, keeping her hands visible.
"I used to be a cleaner for the Russian syndicate in Chicago."
She explained that she had faked her own death three years ago to escape the violent underworld.
She had forged a new identity, moved to Texas, and taken a job as a maid to live a quiet, invisible life.
"I never planned to care for your daughters, Ethan," she said, her voice finally breaking with emotion.
"But when I saw how much pain they were in after their mother died, I couldn't just walk away."
I looked into her eyes and saw the absolute, undeniable truth.
She was a killer, just like me, but she had risked her perfect cover to save my children.
I lowered my pistol and told her to gather the girls immediately.
The mansion was completely compromised, and we needed to move to a secure underground bunker hidden beneath my downtown casino.
Marcus loaded us into an armored transport vehicle, and we slipped out through the estate's secret utility tunnel.
We spent the next four hours in the claustrophobic darkness of the bunker, waiting for the cartel's next move.
The silence was finally broken when the bunker's secure communication monitor flared to life.
Patricia's elegant, smiling face appeared on the high-definition screen.
"Hello, Ethan," Patricia purred, sitting in a luxurious leather chair.
"I hope you enjoyed the little distraction at your house."
I cursed at the screen, demanding to know what she truly wanted from me.
Patricia lifted a small, blood-stained silver necklace to the camera.
May you like
It was the necklace I had given to Marcus, my head of security, just before he left the bunker to scout the perimeter.
"If you ever want to see your loyal friend alive, you will bring the girls to the abandoned shipyard at midnight," Patricia smiled coldly.
