Chapter 5 - The Ledger of Shadowed Names
The next morning, the rain had cleared, leaving Chicago draped in a cold, grey fog. Inside Nora's back office, Nathan, Caleb, and Nora huddled around a scarred oak desk. Spread out before them were the papers Nathan had taken from the harbor warehouse.
Among the fake passports and shipping bills was a small, leather-bound ledger. Caleb flipped through the pages, his expression growing darker with every turn.
"It’s a registry," Caleb whispered, his voice trembling with rare anger. "Names, ages, prices, and shipping dates. This isn't just Mercer's operation. He’s a franchise owner."
"Look at the bank routing numbers," Nora pointed out, her sharp eyes spotting a recurring code at the bottom of each ledger page. "Those aren't standard offshore accounts. That’s the Falcone family’s private bank in Union City."
Nathan’s jaw tightened. The Falcone family was one of the oldest and most ruthless syndicates on the East Coast. For years, there had been an uneasy peace between Nathan's Chicago outfit and the Falcones. If they were backing Mercer, saving Evelyn and the twins wasn't just a rescue mission anymore—it was an act of war.
"They used Daniel Carter's debt to get to his family," Nathan analyzed, piecing together the tragedy. "Daniel didn't just run. He was liquidated because he realized what they wanted to take in exchange for his debt."
Just then, Evelyn walked into the office, her face pale but her eyes clear. "I heard you," she said softly. "My husband... Daniel... he was a good man. He would never have sold our girls. He must have fought them."
May you like
"He did," Nathan said, handing her a document from the pile. It was a death certificate under an assumed name, dated two weeks prior. "They killed him to get him out of the way. I'm sorry, Evelyn."
Evelyn closed her eyes, tears spilling over her lashes, but she didn't break. "Don't be sorry. Make them pay."
