Chapter 6 - THE HUNTER
We bolted toward the rear exit, shoving past rows of cots. Someone shouted behind us. The sharp, muffled thwip of a suppressed gunshot shattered a window to our left.
Robert kicked open the fire door, and we spilled out into a narrow, trash-strewn alley. The humid Chicago air hit my lungs like fire as we ran blindly into the dark. My legs ached, my chest burned, but Robert held onto my hand with an iron grip, pulling me through the labyrinth of the South Side.
"Where are we going?" I gasped as we ducked behind a rusted dumpster, listening to the heavy footsteps of the men hitting the alleyway behind us.
"Underground," Robert whispered.
He led me through a chain-link fence, down an embankment, and into the abandoned access tunnels of the old CTA transit system. The darkness swallowed us whole. The distant rumble of subway trains vibrated through the concrete walls. We walked in silence for what felt like hours, navigating by the faint glow of my burner phone.
We finally stopped in a large, hollowed-out utility room. Robert leaned against the damp wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. I sat next to him, the reality of the night crashing over me.
"Alejandro sent them," I said, shivering despite the heat. "He must have noticed I was gone. He must have checked the safe."
"Alejandro is a sociopath, Mariana," Robert said, his voice echoing softly in the dark. "He was your father's fixer. When your father died, Alejandro took over the entire operation. He married you to secure his claim to the legitimate assets. As long as you are alive and compliant, he has access to everything."
"And if I'm not compliant?"
Robert looked at me, his eyes dead serious. "Then you become a tragic accident. Just like your father."
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My blood ran cold. "My father died of a heart attack."
"Your father was poisoned," Robert stated flatly. "Alejandro got tired of being the servant. He wanted the throne."
