Chapter 7 - Settling the Ledger
We descended the creaking stairs surrounded by a phalanx of armed men whose mere presence seemed to warp the reality of the decaying apartment complex. Doors along the hallway cracked open, terrified neighbors peeking through the gaps, only to slam them shut the moment Nikolai's cold, predatory gaze swept over them.
When we reached the ground floor, Dante stopped directly in front of apartment 1A. The nameplate read H. GUTIERREZ - PROPERTY MANAGER.
Dante nodded at Nikolai.
Without a word, one of the suited operatives stepped forward and kicked the door right next to the deadbolt with terrifying force. The wooden frame splintered instantly, the door flying inward and slamming against the wall with a thunderous bang.
Inside, Hector dropped his half-eaten plate of microwaved enchiladas, screaming in terror as he scrambled off his dirty recliner. ""What the hell! Police! I'm calling the—""
His voice died in his throat as four armed men poured into his living room, securing the corners with drawn firearms. Then Dante walked through the threshold, followed by Nikolai and me.
Hector’s eyes bulged until the whites were completely bloodshot. He pressed his back against his faux-wood entertainment center, trembling so violently that a plastic bowling trophy rattled off the shelf.
""Y-you..."" Hector stammered, staring at Dante. ""I... I was just joking this morning, man! I swear to God! She can stay! She can live there for free!""
Dante didn't raise his voice. He walked slowly across the stained linoleum, stopping two feet from Hector. Despite the injury beneath his hoodie, Dante radiated a lethal menace that sucked every ounce of oxygen from the room.
""You spoke to Maya about her deceased father this morning,"" Dante said softly, his tone resembling the calm before an execution. ""You told her you didn't give a damn about his death. You threatened to throw her onto the street for seven hundred dollars.""
Hector began to weep, tears carving clean lines through the grease on his cheeks. ""Please! I have kids! I didn't know who she was with!""
""She wasn't with anyone,"" Dante replied coldly. ""She was an honest, hardworking woman struggling to survive, and you preyed on her vulnerability because you are a pathetic, cowardly parasite.""
Dante snapped his fingers. Nikolai stepped forward, placed the heavy leather briefcase on Hector’s coffee table, and popped the brass latches with two crisp clicks.
He flipped the lid open.
Hector choked on his own spit. The briefcase was packed to the brim with banded stacks of pristine, uncirculated hundred-dollar bills. There was at least half a million dollars sitting on the table.
""There is five hundred thousand dollars in this case,"" Dante said, his voice flat and terrifying. ""The market value of this entire putrid building is less than three hundred thousand.""
Hector looked up, utter confusion warring with greed in his watery eyes. ""Y-you're paying me?""
""No,"" Dante replied, leaning down so his face was inches from Hector’s. ""You are going to sign the deed of this building over to Maya right now. Nikolai has the transfer paperwork ready. You will take fifty thousand dollars—enough to pack your pathetic life into a suitcase and buy a one-way bus ticket out of Illinois.""
Hector blinked rapidly. ""And the rest of the money?""
""The remaining four hundred and fifty thousand,"" Dante whispered, ""belongs to the tenants you have spent the last decade extorting. Every single family in this building will receive cash restitution, and their leases are forgiven for the next five years. If your face is ever seen within city limits again, Hector, the police won't be the ones finding you. Do we have an agreement?""
Hector fell to his knees on the linoleum, sobbing hysterically as he grabbed a gold pen Nikolai extended toward him. He scribbled his signature across the transfer deed without reading a single word.
May you like
""Good,"" Dante said, stepping back and turning to me. He held out the signed deed of ownership. ""You are no longer a tenant, Maya. You are the landlord. Evict whoever you want. But first, we have a board meeting to attend.""
He offered me his arm. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird, but I took it. Together, flanked by a wall of black suits, we walked out of the building and into the waiting Maybach, leaving behind the only life I had ever known.
