Chapter 3 - THE WOODEN BIRD
The SUV slammed on its brakes, tires screaming against the wet asphalt.
Blair was thrown forward, her seatbelt biting violently into her collarbone.
Leo didn’t flinch.
He grabbed the back of Rocco’s seat. “Gun it. Push them into the barricade.”
Rocco slammed the accelerator. The heavy armored SUV surged forward, crashing into the side of the first sedan with a sickening crunch of metal. Sparks showered the dark street.
Gunfire erupted.
Bullets hammered against the bulletproof glass, spider-webbing the windows.
Blair screamed, covering her head.
“Stay down!” Leo yelled, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her below the window line.
Rocco violently spun the steering wheel. The SUV hopped the curb, smashing through a chain-link fence and plunging into an abandoned construction site.
The two sedans couldn't navigate the debris. They were left behind in the rain.
Rocco killed the headlights, navigating the dark alleys blindly until he pulled into the underground garage of a high-rise building.
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by Blair’s ragged breathing.
“Are you hit?” Leo asked. His voice was back to that terrifying, calm baseline.
“No,” Blair gasped. “I’m okay.”
Leo nodded. He looked at Rocco. “Clear the perimeter. I’m taking her upstairs.”
Blair followed Leo to a private elevator. Her legs felt like jelly.
She had just survived a shootout. Her father had been a mob accountant. And the man she thought was just a scary restaurant customer was apparently her only chance of surviving the night.
The elevator doors opened into a massive, minimalist penthouse.
But it didn't look like a mob boss’s lair.
There were crayons on the glass coffee table. A pair of tiny pink sneakers kicked off by the door.
“Lily!” Leo called out, his voice softening instantly.
Footsteps pattered against the hardwood floor.
A little girl, no older than six, ran into the room. She had Leo’s dark hair, but her eyes were a bright, piercing blue. She was clutching a small, beautifully carved wooden bird.
“Daddy!” Lily threw herself at Leo’s legs.
Leo dropped to his knees, burying his face in his daughter’s neck. For a moment, the weight of his empire vanished. He was just a terrified father holding his world.
Blair watched them, a lump forming in her throat.
“Is the bad thunder gone?” Lily asked, looking up at him.
“The thunder is gone, sweetie,” Leo promised, kissing her forehead.
Lily looked past his shoulder and saw Blair. She tilted her head, her blue eyes curious. “Are you Daddy’s new friend?”
Blair tried to smile, though her face felt frozen. “Hi. I’m Blair.”
Lily held out the wooden bird. “I’m Lily. This is Pip. He protects me when Daddy is at work.”
Blair stepped forward and gently touched the carved wing. “He looks very brave.”
Leo stood up, his eyes meeting Blair's. There was a silent gratitude there.
He led Blair into the kitchen, leaving Lily in the living room with the TV on.
“My father,” Blair said immediately, keeping her voice low. “You said he was murdered.”
Leo poured two glasses of water, handing her one.
“Tom was the best numbers man I ever had,” Leo said, leaning against the marble counter. “He found out Klaus was skimming from the European accounts. Before Tom could bring me the proof, Klaus found out. They staged a mugging in Frankfurt.”
Blair gripped the glass. “He told me he was over there for corporate tax audits. He told me he was safe.”
“He lied to keep you clean,” Leo said softly. “He knew the life. He wanted you out of it. I sent him to Germany because I trusted him. His death is on my hands.”
Blair looked down at the floor. The anger should have been there, but all she felt was a hollow ache.
“Why didn't you go after Klaus?” she asked.
“Because I didn't have proof,” Leo said, his jaw tightening. “And in my world, you don't kill a German boss without proof, unless you want a war that slaughters your entire family.”
He looked toward the living room, where Lily was laughing at a cartoon.
“My wife died three years ago,” Leo whispered. “A car bomb meant for me. I couldn't risk Lily.”
The pieces were falling into place.
“But tonight,” Blair said, “tonight they were going to kill you.”
“Because Klaus finally found out that I located Tom’s ledger,” Leo said. “The ledger proving Klaus’s treason. I was going to present it to the Commission on Friday. Klaus tried to execute me tonight to stop it.”
Blair’s eyes widened. “Where is the ledger?”
Before Leo could answer, the penthouse door was kicked open.
Rocco stumbled inside, bleeding heavily from his shoulder.
“Boss,” Rocco gasped, collapsing against the wall. “They bypassed the garage security. They’re coming up the stairs.”
Leo drew his gun.
He didn't panic. He looked at Blair.
“Grab Lily. Take the service elevator.”
“What about you?” Blair cried.
Leo cocked the gun. “I’m buying you time.”
He tossed her a set of keys.
But as Blair caught them, she noticed something caught on the key ring.
May you like
A heavy, brass luggage tag.
Stamped with a locker number at Union Station.
