Chapter 2 - Shadows in the Snow
By the third day, Maya's fever had broken.
The pale, shivering child from the alley was gradually replaced by a quiet girl who watched the world with large, cautious dark eyes. She spoke very little, but her bond with Bruno remained unbreakable. The dog followed her everywhere—from the breakfast nook to the library—acting as a shadow that never left her side.
Alfred sat in his study, reviewing shipping manifests, when a soft knock sounded at the heavy oak door.
Maya stepped into the room, wearing a clean cream-colored sweater that was far too large for her, her small feet tucked into warm woolen socks. Bruno walked beside her, his tail giving two slow, polite thumps against the rug.
"Maya," Alfred said, leaning back in his leather chair and setting his pen down. "Come in."
She walked over slowly, standing beside his massive mahogany desk. She looked at the heavy leather-bound books, the security monitors displaying the estate grounds, and finally looked into Alfred's face.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice fragile but clear. "For the warm food. And for Bruno."
"Bruno is a good dog," Alfred replied gently. "He kept you alive in that storm."
Maya pulled something from her pocket—a small, crumpled photograph she had hidden in her boot. She laid it on the desk. It showed a smiling man, a beautiful woman, and a younger Maya sitting on a sunny porch.
"My daddy told me about you," Maya said, her eyes glistening with tears. "Before the bad men came to our house. He told my mother that if anything ever happened to him, we had to get to this city. He said there was a man named Alfred Christa. He said you were terrifying, but you were a man who kept his word."
Alfred stared at the photograph. He remembered Thomas Vance now—a brilliant accountant who had done business with the Christa family seven years ago before moving to Chicago. Vance had been a civilian, a man who had tried to stay clean in a dirty world.
"Your father was a smart man, Maya," Alfred said softly. "Where is the ledger?"
Maya pointed to the antique key resting on Alfred's desk. "Daddy buried an iron box under the floorboards of the old boathouse near the lake. He said this key opens it. He said inside the box is the truth about what Valenti did to all those people."
May you like
Before Alfred could respond, the red security light on his desk began to flash rapidly.
Marcus burst through the study doors, his weapon drawn. "Boss! We have a breach at the perimeter wall! Three unmarked SUVs just rammed the south gate!"
