Chapter 12 - UNION STATION
Union Station at midnight was all echoes and shadows.
Evelyn walked through the Great Hall carrying the metal drive in her jacket.
Lorenzo was somewhere above.
Maya waited in a van two blocks away.
The plan was simple.
Which meant Evelyn hated it.
Her phone buzzed.
Celeste.
“Keep walking.”
Evelyn looked around.
“Where’s Linda?”
“Safe.”
“You shot up a restaurant. Forgive me if your word doesn’t calm me.”
“Walk to Track Nine.”
Evelyn moved.
A few late travelers dragged suitcases past her.
Normal people.
Normal lives.
She envied them.
“You know what’s funny?” Celeste said.
“No.”
“You could have stayed a waitress.”
“You could’ve stayed rich.”
Celeste laughed.
“Cute.”
Evelyn reached the platform.
Empty.
“Now what?”
“Place the drive under the bench.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I see Linda first.”
Silence.
Then a side door opened.
Celeste pushed Maya’s mother onto the platform.
Her hands were tied.
A man held a gun behind her.
“Evelyn,” Linda cried.
“It’s okay.”
Celeste appeared.
“You came.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Drive.”
“Linda first.”
Celeste sighed.
“You really did spend too much time around Lorenzo.”
“Maybe.”
She removed the drive.
Celeste smiled.
Then Lorenzo’s voice came from above.
“Definitely.”
The lights went out.
Gunfire exploded.
Evelyn dropped.
Linda screamed.
Lorenzo’s men rushed from both entrances.
Celeste’s gunman fired blind.
Evelyn crawled toward Linda.
“Get down!”
She cut Linda’s wrists with a small blade.
“Run to the stairs.”
“What about you?”
“GO!”
Celeste grabbed Evelyn from behind.
A gun pressed against her ribs.
“Stand up.”
Evelyn froze.
Celeste dragged her toward the tracks.
Lorenzo appeared twenty feet away.
Gun raised.
“Let her go.”
Celeste laughed.
“You really care about her.”
“Let her go.”
“You didn’t love me enough to ruin yourself.”
“I never loved you.”
The words hit.
Celeste’s face cracked.
For one second.
Then rage replaced it.
“You think she’s better?”
“No.”
Lorenzo’s eyes stayed on Evelyn.
“She’s real.”
Celeste pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing.
Her face changed.
Evelyn smiled.
“You should check your magazine.”
Earlier, while Celeste searched her jacket, Evelyn had slipped the release.
The magazine dropped to the platform.
Evelyn slammed her head backward into Celeste’s face.
Lorenzo lunged.
Celeste ran.
A train horn screamed.
She jumped across the tracks seconds before a commuter train blasted between them.
When it passed, she was gone.
Lorenzo reached Evelyn.
“You okay?”
“I’m starting to hate that question.”
He touched her face.
“You’re bleeding.”
“So are you.”
Their eyes met.
Then his phone rang.
Dante.
Lorenzo answered.
“What?”
Dante’s voice was weak.
“They took the Obsidian.”
“Who?”
“Salvatore.”
Silence.
“He called every captain in the city.”
Lorenzo’s face hardened.
May you like
Dante whispered:
“Your uncle just declared you dead.”
