Chapter 3 - THE AFTERMATH
He waved a hand blindly in the air, signaling his men to stand down. Pushing himself up, Roman spat a mouthful of blood onto the checkered tiles. "Keep the hundred," he rasped, his pale eyes burning with a terrifying, entirely new kind of focus. "Consider it a down payment." They left in silence, the bell above the door chiming its cheerful, oblivious tune. Harper locked the door, slid to the floor behind the counter, and finally let her hands shake. She knew men like Roman didn't just walk away. They owned the city, the police, and the shadows in between. Over the next forty-eight hours, Harper waited for the firebomb through the window or the silent men waiting in the alley. Instead, the diner was bought outright by an anonymous shell company, and her brother’s crippling college debt was erased overnight.
