Chapter 14 - FIVE MINUTES LATER, CHICAGO EXPLODED AGAIN
The Obsidian looked exactly as it had the night Evelyn first warned Lorenzo.
Black glass.
Frozen chandeliers.
White linen.
Rich men pretending they controlled the world.
This time, Evelyn entered through the kitchen.
Maya whispered through her earpiece.
“Camera feed is live.”
“Reporter?”
“Watching.”
“Federal contact?”
“Watching.”
“Lorenzo?”
“Being Lorenzo.”
Meaning doing something dangerous.
Evelyn reached the security room.
One guard.
She knocked softly.
He opened the door.
She sprayed him with a fire extinguisher.
He cursed.
She slammed the door against his face.
“Sorry.”
She locked him outside.
Maya laughed in her ear.
“You enjoyed that.”
“A little.”
Evelyn accessed the restaurant cameras.
Main dining room.
Salvatore sat at Table Four.
Celeste beside him.
Dante tied to a chair.
Lorenzo entered through the front doors alone.
Every gun in the room aimed at him.
Salvatore smiled.
“My nephew.”
“Uncle.”
“You look terrible.”
“You shot me.”
“Yes.”
Lorenzo looked at Celeste.
“You look worse.”
She glared.
Salvatore laughed.
“Sit.”
Lorenzo sat.
Right where he had sat during the engagement dinner.
Salvatore poured wine.
“You could have inherited everything.”
“I did.”
“And you wasted it.”
“I learned what it was.”
“Power.”
“Rot.”
Salvatore’s smile vanished.
“Careful.”
Lorenzo leaned back.
“You killed my mother.”
The room changed.
Celeste glanced at Salvatore.
Salvatore shrugged.
“She was weak.”
Evelyn’s pulse jumped.
Maya whispered.
“We got that.”
Lorenzo continued.
“You ordered Daniel Carter killed.”
“He stole from us.”
“He copied records.”
“Same thing.”
“You bought judges.”
“Yes.”
“Police commanders.”
“Of course.”
“Politicians.”
Salvatore laughed.
“Lorenzo, are we listing accomplishments?”
Evelyn smiled.
Keep talking.
Celeste suddenly looked toward a security camera.
Her face changed.
“Oh.”
Evelyn’s smile disappeared.
Celeste stood.
“We’re being recorded.”
Salvatore looked up.
Lorenzo moved.
Chaos.
Dante kicked the nearest guard.
Lorenzo flipped the table.
Gunfire exploded.
Evelyn hit SEND.
Every file.
Every video stream.
Every confession.
Out.
Celeste rushed toward the security room.
“Evelyn!”
Maya shouted.
“She’s coming to you!”
“I know.”
Evelyn ran.
Kitchen.
Service hall.
Wine cellar.
The same path.
Celeste caught her on the stairs.
She slammed Evelyn into the wall.
“You stupid little waitress.”
Evelyn hit her back.
“You really need new insults.”
Celeste swung.
Evelyn ducked.
They crashed into the wine cellar.
Celeste grabbed a broken bottle.
“You took everything from me.”
Evelyn stared at her.
“No.”
“You took Lorenzo.”
“He was never yours.”
Celeste screamed and lunged.
Evelyn caught her wrist.
The bottle sliced Evelyn’s arm.
She cried out.
They hit the floor.
Celeste climbed on top of her.
“You should have stayed invisible.”
Evelyn strained against the glass.
Then smiled through the pain.
“That was your first mistake.”
She drove her knee upward.
Celeste rolled away.
Evelyn grabbed the fire alarm and pulled.
Sprinklers erupted.
Alarms screamed.
Upstairs, sirens approached.
Celeste ran for the north exit.
Evelyn froze.
North exit.
The words from the napkin.
She chased her.
“CELESTE!”
Celeste turned.
Raised a gun she had pulled from a fallen guard.
A second figure appeared behind Evelyn.
Lorenzo.
Gun raised.
Salvatore appeared behind Celeste.
Four people.
Two guns.
One second.
Salvatore fired.
Lorenzo fired.
Celeste screamed.
May you like
The lights went black.
And Evelyn heard a body hit the floor.
