Chapter 3 - The Broken Vow
Within twenty minutes, my armored convoy tore through the rain-slicked streets of Chicago toward Blackwood Tower. Inside the reinforced cabin of my black Suburban, Sarah sat pale and trembling, her ruined wedding gown draped over the leather seats like a deflated cloud. Mark was holding her hand, his face pale with the quiet, helpless shock common to civilians suddenly thrust into the underworld.
Lily sat strapped in her child seat between us, gripping her one-eared bear tightly.
""How could he be alive, Jack?"" Sarah choked out, wiping mascara from her cheeks. ""The police told me his body was charred beyond recognition! They used his dental records from Dr. Henderson!""
""Dr. Henderson was found dead of an apparent drug overdose three days after the crash,"" I replied coldly, scrolling through encrypted data streams on my tablet. ""Back then, I assumed Daniel was being sloppy with his loan-sharking associates. Now the puzzle pieces are fitting together. Julian didn't drown. He faked his death to disappear with forty million dollars stolen from my father's offshore accounts, and Daniel helped him orchestrate it.""
""Why come back now?"" Mark asked, his voice trembling slightly. ""If he had forty million dollars and was dead to the world, why risk coming to the church?""
""Because Daniel got caught,"" I answered, looking out at the grey, towering Chicago skyline. ""When Daniel kidnapped Sarah to get the locker key hidden inside Teddy, his goal wasn't just to blackmail me. He was trying to recover the second ledger—the one that Julian left behind. Without that second ledger, Julian can't touch the remaining funds locked in the Swiss accounts. Julian came back because he realized the only way to get his money and destroy me at the same time was to trade the Blackwood empire to the feds.""
The SUV pulled into the subterranean garage of Blackwood Tower. Heavy steel blast doors slammed shut behind us with a resonant thud. Thirty heavily armed men in tactical gear flanked the perimeter, their rifles held at the low-ready position.
Vito, my head of personal security, ripped open my door. ""Boss, Maria is gone. She cleared out her quarters on the fourteenth floor. She used an emergency bypass code that only four people possess.""
""She had my father's emergency code,"" I said, stepping out onto the concrete and extending an arm to help Sarah down. ""Bring Lily to the safe room on floor thirty. Double the guard on every elevator shaft, vent, and stairwell. If a cockroach sneaks in without an ID badge, squash it.""
""Uncle Jack!"" Lily called out as Sarah picked her up. ""Teddy want to stay with you!""
I paused, looking at the little girl. Despite the chaos threatening to burn my life's work to ash, her innocence grounded me. I leaned over, tapping the bear's nose. ""Teddy has a very important job, Lily. He needs to guard you and Mommy in the big room upstairs. Can he do that for me?""
Lily puffed out her chest and nodded solemnly. ""Yes! He husband bear! He strong!""
""That's my girl,"" I whispered, forcing a small smile.
Once the elevator doors closed on Sarah, Mark, and Lily, the smile vanished entirely. The warmth in my face died, replaced by the terrifying, ruthless patriarch who had earned the title of the Chicago Wolf.
""Vito,"" I barked, walking rapidly toward the command center. ""Where is Detective Harris?""
""Upstairs in your study, boss. He's not looking happy.""
I took the private express lift straight to the penthouse. The heavy double doors of my study hung slightly ajar. Inside, the mahogany wall unit was swung open, exposing the hollow interior of the empty titanium safe. Detective Michael Harris—the only honest cop in Chicago who knew the dirty truth about my family—was standing beside the desk, nursing a glass of bourbon.
""You're in deep, Blackwood,"" Harris said without looking up. ""The U.S. Attorney just signed off on twenty-four federal arrest warrants. Your names are on twelve of them. They claim they have banking records bearing your personal signature authorizing arms transfers through the Port of Newark.""
""Julian forged them,"" I said flatly, walking behind my desk and pouring myself a drink. ""Or Daniel did before I put him in Cook County Jail.""
""It doesn't matter who forged them if the ink matches your family seal,"" Harris countered, turning to face me. ""Julian Bennett didn't just walk into a federal building with accusations; he walked in with receipts provided directly by your beloved housekeeper. In less than six hours, the FBI will breach this building with a no-knock warrant backed by military-grade assault teams.""
""They won't breach anything,"" I said coldly, taking a slow sip. ""Because before that warrant is served, Julian Bennett is going to bleed out every lie he ever told.""
""You can't kill a federal witness who just announced his survival to two hundred wedding guests, Jack!"" Harris slammed his glass onto the desk. ""If he dies tonight, you become public enemy number one. The city won't protect you. I won't be able to protect you.""
I leaned forward, placing both palms flat on the mahogany desk, staring into Harris's eyes. ""I don't need your protection, Michael. I need thirty minutes alone with my brother Daniel inside his holding cell.""
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Harris stared at me, his jaw tightening. ""Cook County is on total lockdown. The warden is taking orders directly from federal marshals.""
""Every warden has a price, Detective,"" I whispered. ""And if he doesn't take cash, he takes the survival of his family as payment. Get me inside that cell. Daniel is the only one who knows Julian's safehouse. And I am going to make my dear little brother sing.""
