Chapter 4 - The Shadow of the Iron Syndicate
Adrian opened the leather notebook.
The handwriting was unmistakably Daniel’s—neat, precise, and filled with detailed financial ledgers, shipping container codes, and dates.
As Adrian flipped through the yellowed pages, his eyes caught a name written near the bottom of a page dated November 12, 2021.
Gordon Briggs.
Adrian stopped turning the pages. His thumb pressed so hard into the leather binding that the seam creaked.
“Briggs,” Adrian muttered, his voice dropping into an icy abyss. “The slum lord.”
“What?” Nora asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
“Briggs isn't just a landlord,” Marcus spoke up from the doorway, holding a tablet computer that was rapidly updating with encrypted files. “Boss, I just ran Briggs’s commercial LLCs through our system. He doesn't own this building. He’s a front manager for a holding company based out of Delaware.”
Marcus looked up at Adrian, his face pale with sudden realization.
“The holding company belongs to Victor Sterling,” Marcus said.
The room seemed to drop ten degrees in temperature.
Victor Sterling was the former Deputy Director of the regional organized crime task force—the man who had led the federal investigation into Daniel Vale’s disappearance five years ago. He was now a high-priced corporate security consultant who owned half the private docks along the Monongahela River.
“Sterling…” Adrian whispered, his eyes narrowing into deadly slits. “He was the one who oversaw the search of the riverbank. He was the one who declared Daniel’s case a closed drowning.”
Nora gasped, clutching her hands to her mouth. “Briggs wasn't trying to evict me because of rent, was he?”
“No,” Adrian said softly, closing the notebook and tucking it into his inner breast pocket. “Briggs was sent here tonight to search this apartment. Sterling found out three days ago that you were moving. He realized that if you packed up this apartment, whatever Daniel left behind might finally come to light.”
Before Nora could digest the terrifying reality that her life had been surrounded by wolves for five years, a sharp, metallic clink sounded from the street below.
Marcus immediately stepped to the window, peering through the worn blinds.
“Boss,” Marcus said, his voice tense, reaching for his hip holster. “We’ve got three unmarked grey vans turning onto Carson Street. No license plates. They’re shutting off their lights.”
Adrian didn't panic. He moved with absolute, practiced lethal efficiency.
He stepped over to Nora, grabbing her by her shoulders, pulling her gently but firmly toward the back hallway.
“Marcus, call the secondary team,” Adrian ordered calmly. “Tell them to secure the alleyway behind the bakery. Nobody leaves this block alive except us.”
“On it,” Marcus said, pulling his radio.
“Nora, get Lily,” Adrian commanded, looking into her terrified blue eyes. “Now.”
Nora didn't argue. She sprinted into the bedroom, scooped Lily into her arms, fleece blanket and all, and rushed back out into the living room.
Lily rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking around at the dark suits and drawn weapons with confusion. “Mom? Are we moving now?”
“Yes, baby,” Nora choked out, holding her daughter tight against her chest. “We’re moving now.”
The glass of the living room window suddenly shattered inward!
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A heavy flashbang grenade clattered across the linoleum floor, sparking wildly!
“Cover!” Adrian yelled, lunging forward, using his massive body to shield Nora and Lily as he tackled them behind the heavy velvet sofa just as the grenade exploded in a deafening flash of white heat and thunder!
