Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD
Dominic stared at the photograph on his desk.
Victor Calder.
Alive.
Older.
A scar along his neck.
Standing outside a warehouse near the Chicago River.
Marcus stood across from him.
“The image was taken yesterday.”
Dominic looked up.
“Confirmed?”
“Yes.”
Dominic leaned back.
For three years, he had believed Calder was dead.
Now the man had returned.
And his first move had been against Dominic's mother and daughter.
“What does he want?” Marcus asked.
Dominic looked toward the city.
“Everything.”
Victor Calder had once been Dominic's closest lieutenant.
They had grown up together.
Worked together.
Built businesses together.
But Calder had become reckless.
He wanted more power.
More territory.
More money.
And he had begun making deals without Dominic's knowledge.
Three years earlier, Calder had been accused of ordering a violent attack against a rival's family.
Dominic had refused to protect him.
Calder disappeared.
A warehouse burned.
A body was found.
Now he was back.
Dominic looked at Marcus.
“Find out who helped him.”
Marcus nodded.
Then Dominic added:
“And keep my family away from the streets until we know more.”
Marcus hesitated.
“What about Brielle?”
Dominic's expression changed.
“She isn't part of this.”
Marcus looked at him.
“Calder seems to think otherwise.”
Dominic stared.
He knew Marcus was right.
Brielle had become a witness.
A problem.
A loose end.
And in Dominic's world, loose ends were often the first people to disappear.
That evening, Dominic visited Brielle's apartment.
He came alone.
He knocked.
She opened the door.
“Dominic?”
He looked at her.
“We need to talk.”
She stepped aside.
He entered.
His eyes moved over the small apartment.
The secondhand furniture.
The photograph.
The unpaid bills on the table.
Brielle crossed her arms.
“What happened?”
Dominic looked at her.
“The man you heard named Calder is alive.”
She frowned.
“Was he supposed to be dead?”
“Yes.”
He explained enough for her to understand the danger.
Not every detail.
But the truth.
Brielle sat slowly.
“So the men who attacked Lily were working for him?”
“That's what we're investigating.”
She swallowed.
“And now he knows who I am.”
Dominic nodded.
Brielle looked toward the window.
“Great.”
Dominic continued.
“I can arrange temporary protection.”
She shook her head.
“I don't want to live in your mansion.”
“I didn't ask you to.”
She looked surprised.
He said:
“I can help you find a secure place to stay. You choose where. You keep your independence.”
Brielle studied him.
“Why?”
Dominic frowned.
“Why what?”
“Why are you being so careful with me?”
He looked at her.
“Because you saved my daughter.”
She shook her head.
“That doesn't mean you own my life.”
Dominic's expression softened.
“No.”
May you like
He looked around the apartment.
“It means I owe you the chance to keep living it.”
