Chapter 5 - Whispers In The Shadows
The cargo freighter Northern Star plowed through the violent, black swells of Lake Michigan.
Down in the captain’s secondary cabin, the air was warm and smelled of diesel fuel and cedar shavings. Sophie lay cradled in a nest of wool blankets on the narrow bunk, sleeping soundly after finishing her four-ounce bottle. The steady, heavy thrum of the marine engine served as a natural white noise machine, keeping her calm against the storm outside.
I sat on a wooden stool beside the bunk, pressing a fresh sanitary pad to my aching wound. The bleeding had slowed, but the fever had started to creep in—a low, burning heat behind my eyes and an intense soreness in my joints.
The door opened with a dull metallic click, and Vincent stepped inside, carrying two thick ceramic mugs of black tea and a bowl of hot broth.
""Drink,"" Vincent said, setting the food on the small bolted table. ""You're burning up.""
""I'm fine,"" I lied, though my hands were trembling so badly I could barely hold the mug. ""How far are we from Sault Ste. Marie?""
""We cross into Canadian waters by dawn,"" Vincent replied, taking a seat opposite me. ""From there, my contacts will move you to a quiet cabin outside Thunder Bay. Roman has no pull in Ontario. None. The Mounties won't entertain his private security, and the local dockworkers answer to my syndicate, not his.""
I took a sip of the bitter, hot broth, feeling the warmth spread through my hollow stomach. ""He'll know you helped me, Vincent. When he realizes we're gone from the city, he’ll come for your docks.""
Vincent let out a short, humorless bark of laughter. ""Let him come. Roman thinks brute force solves everything. He’s spent five years building a glass tower on top of a swamp. He forgot that without loyalty, a syndicate is just an armed gang waiting for a payday.""
Vincent pulled a tablet computer from his satchel and booted it up. ""Look at this.""
He turned the screen toward me.
The Milwaukee financial sector was in utter chaos. News alerts were popping up on corporate feeds: Federal Authorities Execute Search Warrants on Moretti Marine Logistics; Forensic Audit Ordered for Mid-Western Real Estate Trust.
I stared at the screen. ""You triggered the ledger?""
""No,"" Vincent said, watching me with quiet respect. ""You did. When you plugged your burner into the dock terminal to ping my vessel, that secondary file you had encrypted automatically uploaded to the US District Attorney’s secure server. You completely dismantled his offshore money-laundering pipeline with a single keystroke.""
I looked down at Sophie. Her little chest rose and fell, completely safe, completely oblivious to the empire tumbling down across the state border.
""I didn't want to destroy him,"" I whispered, tears finally stinging my eyes. ""I just wanted him to be a father. I wanted him to choose her.""
""Men like Roman don't choose,"" Vincent said gently. ""They conquer until there's nothing left to take, and then they wonder why they're starving. You saved that little girl tonight, Aaron. Never apologize for surviving.""
Suddenly, the ship’s internal phone squawked on the wall. Vincent stood up and lifted the heavy receiver.
""Captain?"" Vincent listened for ten seconds, his expression hardening into stone. ""Where? ... How many?""
May you like
He slammed the receiver down and turned to me, his jaw clenched tight.
""Roman figured it out,"" Vincent said grimly. ""He bypassed the state police and launched his private high-speed cutter from the Milwaukee Yacht Club. They're intercepting us before the maritime boundary.""
