Chapter 3 - ECHOES IN THE DARK
For three days, Liam existed in a fever dream. He had ordered background checks on the waitress. Ava Rossi. Twenty-four. Nursing school dropout. Clean record. Desperate debts left behind by a deadbeat father. She was nobody. Yet, she was the only person on earth who possessed a voice that could cross the impenetrable void of his deafness.
He cornered her in the alley behind the Onyx Room after her shift, the midnight rain slicking the Chicago cobblestones. His two shadows, Marco and Paulie, stood at the ends of the alley.
Ava froze, pulling her coat tighter. She didn't scream, but her eyes darted to the exits.
Liam stepped into the dim light of the streetlamp. He handed her a slip of paper.
Say my name.
She stared at the paper, then at him, recognizing the boss's untouchable son. Her brow furrowed. She opened her mouth.
"Liam."
It washed over him like a tidal wave. Soft, breathy, tinged with fear, but agonizingly clear. He squeezed his eyes shut, trembling. It wasn't a cure. The rain hitting the dumpsters remained silent. The distant sirens were mute. He could only hear her.
May you like
He pulled out a thick envelope of cash and shoved it into her hands. He pulled out a second note.
You work for me now. Direct report. You are my ears.
