Chapter 2 - The Man Who Came Back
Dominic didn't return to his penthouse immediately.
That frightened Norah.
A guilty man would have reacted.
An angry man would have made calls.
The Dominic sitting across from her did neither.
He folded Lily's paper carefully.
“Your father's name?”
“Daniel Parker.”
“What exactly does he do?”
“Night supervisor. He checks manifests.”
Dominic nodded.
“Did he ever mention Northstar Freight?”
Lily went still.
Norah saw it.
“He did.”
“Tell him.”
Lily looked at Norah.
“He said there were containers appearing on manifests twice.”
Dominic's expression changed.
“Duplicate shipments?”
“I don't know. He wouldn't explain.”
Dominic stood.
“I need the original records.”
Lily grabbed Norah.
“You're not leaving me.”
Dominic looked at her.
“I'm finding your father.”
“No. You're the reason he's missing.”
Norah expected anger.
Instead Dominic said, “Maybe.”
The honesty silenced them.
He called someone named Gabriel Cross.
“Find Daniel Parker. Quietly.”
Then he hung up.
Norah crossed her arms.
“And we're supposed to trust Gabriel?”
Dominic looked at her.
“Gabriel has been with me eighteen years.”
“The message said not to trust anyone in your house.”
“And?”
“You called someone in your house thirty seconds later.”
Dominic stared at her.
Then, unexpectedly, he laughed once.
It wasn't warm.
But it was real.
“You always this difficult?”
“Only after lunch.”
Dominic took another phone from his pocket.
He removed the battery from his primary device.
“Fine.”
“What are you doing?”
“Taking your advice.”
That was the beginning.
Not trust.
Not friendship.
Certainly not love.
Suspicion.
Dominic took Norah and Lily through the service exit.
A dark sedan waited outside.
Norah stopped.
“No.”
Dominic looked back.
“What now?”
“Lily doesn't get into mysterious black cars with powerful men.”
“It's my car.”
“That somehow makes the sentence worse.”
Lily almost laughed despite herself.
Dominic rubbed his forehead.
“You drive?”
Norah held up her keys.
“My Honda has one functioning speaker and a passenger window that requires prayer.”
“Perfect.”
Twenty minutes later, one of Chicago's most feared men was sitting inside Norah Bennett's twelve-year-old Honda.
His knees barely fit beneath the dashboard.
Lily sat in back.
Norah glanced at him.
“You look uncomfortable.”
“I am.”
“Good.”
“Do you enjoy this?”
“More than I should.”
They drove south.
Daniel Parker's apartment had been searched.
Not robbed.
Searched.
Drawers opened.
Mattress shifted.
Computer missing.
But cash remained inside a kitchen jar.
Dominic crouched beside Daniel's desk.
“Someone wanted information.”
Lily found an envelope taped beneath a drawer.
Inside was a storage key.
Number 417.
On the back Daniel had written:
BLUE LINE.
Norah looked at Dominic.
“Meaning?”
“Storage facility near the old rail corridor.”
“How do you know?”
“I own it.”
“Of course you do.”
They reached the facility after dark.
Unit 417 contained one metal box.
Inside were photocopied manifests.
Dominic studied them.
His face hardened.
“These are mine.”
“What?”
“My authorization codes.”
Norah leaned closer.
“So somebody copied your signature?”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“They used codes only four people know.”
“Who?”
“My accountant.”
“Missing.”
“My operations chief.”
“Gabriel?”
Dominic nodded.
“My fiancée.”
Lily whispered, “Valerie.”
“And me.”
Norah felt cold.
Daniel hadn't discovered random theft.
He had discovered somebody inside Dominic's organization using Dominic's own authority.
Then headlights appeared outside.
Dominic killed the light.
“Stay here.”
“No,” Norah whispered.
He gave her a look.
“You don't know who's outside.”
“Neither do you.”
Footsteps approached.
The door opened.
Gabriel Cross entered.
Dominic relaxed slightly.
“Gabriel.”
Gabriel looked from Dominic to Norah.
“I've been calling you.”
“Phone's off.”
“I found Parker.”
Lily stepped forward.
“Where?”
“Mercy Hospital.”
Her face drained.
“He's alive?”
“Yes.”
They rushed there.
Daniel Parker looked exhausted, but alive.
Lily ran to him.
“Dad.”
He held her.
Then he saw Dominic.
Everything changed.
“Get him out.”
Dominic stopped.
“Mr. Parker—”
“You brought this into my house.”
“I didn't know.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“That's the problem with powerful men. They think not knowing makes them innocent.”
Norah watched Dominic absorb the insult.
He didn't retaliate.
“What did you find?”
Daniel looked at Norah instead.
“Your waitress friend.”
“Norah.”
Daniel nodded.
“You protected my daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Then I'll tell you.”
He reached beneath his hospital blanket and removed a tiny flash drive.
“I copied everything.”
Dominic stepped forward.
Daniel pulled it away.
“Not you.”
Again, he handed it to Norah.
Dominic's expression tightened.
Daniel whispered:
“There's a second ledger.”
“What does that mean?”
“Dominic's companies are being emptied.”
“How much?”
“Millions.”
Dominic remained silent.
Daniel looked directly at him.
“And they're making it look like you're doing it.”
“Who?”
Daniel swallowed.
“I heard Valerie talking to somebody.”
Dominic's jaw tightened.
“Who?”
“I couldn't see him.”
“But?”
Daniel stared at Dominic.
“He called her sweetheart.”
Dominic looked confused.
Daniel continued.
“And she called him Gabriel.”
Norah slowly turned.
Gabriel Cross had been standing behind them seconds earlier.
May you like
Now the doorway was empty.
He was gone.
