Chapter 9 - Light Through the Rain
"Kill him! Kill him!" Vance shrieked from his hiding spot.
Marcus didn't panic. He counted the rhythm of the gunfire. The moment a guard paused to reload, Marcus spun out from behind the pillar, firing two more rounds. Another guard fell. The last remaining guard turned to run, but Frank and Marcus's men suddenly breached the back doors, cutting off his escape and securing the room within seconds.
Victor Vance was left completely alone, cowering behind the crates. Marcus walked over slowly, his gun pointed directly at Vance's chest. Vance looked up, trembling violently, realizing his gamble had utterly failed.
"Please, Marcus... we can make a deal..." Vance begged, his voice cracking just like Miller's had months ago.
Marcus looked at him with complete disdain. "No more deals, Victor."
Marcus turned his back on Vance, nodding to Frank. Frank stepped forward, grabbing Vance by the collar and dragging him away into the shadows to ensure he would never threaten anyone in Chicago ever again.
Marcus dropped his gun to the floor and ran to Emily and Leo. He pulled a knife from his boot, quickly slicing through the ropes binding them. The moment she was free, Emily collapsed forward, but Marcus caught her, holding her steady as he reached into his inner pocket—where he actually did have an extra inhaler he always kept on him just in case.
"Leo, look at me, buddy," Marcus said, his voice surprisingly gentle as he shook the medicine. He placed the plastic piece between the boy’s lips. "Press it down. Breathe, Leo. Breathe."
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They sat on the dirty, cold floor of the warehouse, Marcus holding both mother and child tightly as the medication took hold. Slowly, beautifully, Leo’s chest stopped heaving. The whistling sound faded away, replaced by the clean, deep breaths of a healthy child.
Emily buried her face in Marcus’s shoulder, sobbing out of pure relief, her hands gripping his expensive coat. Marcus, a man who had spent his entire life keeping everyone at a distance, closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around them, finally feeling a sense of warmth he thought he had lost forever.
