Chapter 3 - Shadows on the Wall
By the third week, a fragile routine had established itself within the fortress. Sadi arrived every morning, and while she still refused to quit her other jobs, she accepted a quiet arrangement where Finch had a private driver pick her up from the flower shop to ensure her safety. Corbin didn't tell her about the driver’s true purpose: the man was one of his best marksmen, tasked with ensuring no one followed her.
Because while the interior of the Lake Forest mansion was softening, the streets of Chicago were growing bloodier.
"Cigretti’s people are moving back into the West Side," Finch reported one evening, dropping a map onto Corbin’s desk. "Omar hasn't been seen, but his signature is all over these hits. They're taking out our supply lines. He’s building up to something, Corbin. He knows you haven't forgotten."
Corbin stared at the map, his eyes cold and lethal. "He thinks he can hide forever. Find his accountant. Find anyone who handles his cash. I want Omar brought to me alive."
"And the girl? Sadi?" Finch asked. "If Omar realizes how much time she spends here..."
"She stays under twenty-four-hour surveillance," Corbin ordered sharply. "If a single hair on her head is harmed, I will burn this city to the ground."
He didn't admit, even to himself, how much he had begun to look forward to the hours Sadi spent in the house. Sometimes, under the pretense of checking the security feeds, he would simply watch her teach Noel how to press flowers inside heavy encyclopedias. He watched Sadi laugh, a bright, genuine sound that felt completely foreign in a house that had been a mausoleum for eight months.
One afternoon, a sudden summer thunderstorm rolled over Lake Forest. The sky turned a violent, bruised purple, and cracks of thunder shook the heavy glass windows of the mansion.
Corbin was downstairs when the first loud boom echoed. Instinctively, his mind flashed to gunfire. He bolted up the stairs, his heart hammering against his ribs, his hand reaching for the holster under his arm. He threw Noel’s bedroom door open, expecting the worst.
Instead, he found both Sadi and Noel huddled under a blanket fort they had constructed between the bed and the wall. They had a small flashlight, illuminating their faces in the dark room.
Noel was shaking, her small hands over her ears, her eyes wide with panic as the thunder rattled the glass again. But Sadi was holding her tight, rocking her back and forth, humming a soft, steady tune.
"Hey," Sadi said softly, looking up as Corbin stood in the doorway, breathless and wild-eyed. "We're okay. It’s just the sky being loud."
Corbin slowly let his hand drop from his jacket. He looked at his daughter, who was trembling but looking at him with wide, trusting eyes. For months, Corbin had kept his distance, terrified that his presence, his grief, and his violent world would break her completely. But seeing her now, wrapped in a blanket fort with a woman who had known her for less than a month, a sudden wave of fierce, protective desperation washed over him.
He walked into the room, his heavy steps silent on the carpet. He knelt down beside the blanket fort.
"Can I come in?" Corbin asked, his voice unexpectedly raw.
Sadi looked at him, her eyes softening in a way he hadn't seen before. She pulled the edge of the blanket back, widening the opening. "There's room."
Corbin crawled into the small, confined space. The smell of lavender and rain-soaked earth surrounded them. He sat down next to Noel, and after a moment of agonizing hesitation, he reached out his large, scarred hand.
May you like
Noel looked at his hand, then looked up at his face. Slowly, she let go of one of her ears and wrapped her tiny fingers around his thumb.
Corbin closed his eyes, a single, heavy breath escaping his chest. It felt like the first real breath he had taken in eight long months. Across the small space of the tent, Sadi watched him, the flashlight catching the gentle smile on her lips. For the first time, she didn't see the feared mafia don. She just saw a broken father trying to find his way back to his child.
