Chapter 8 - The Saint Agnes SecretThe next morning, the rain drummed a relentless, heavy rhythm against the armored glass of Marin Hollis’s modest apartment on the west side. It was a tiny, cramped space filled with stacks of medical bills, nursing textbooks, and the comforting scent of chamomile tea.
A soft knock at the door made Marin freeze.
She walked cautiously across the worn linoleum floor and peeked through the peephole. Standing in the dim hallway, wearing a dark trench coat with the collar turned up against the cold rain, was Abel Ferraro.
Marin opened the door slowly. “Mr. Ferraro? What are you... what are you doing here?”
Abel offered a gentle, weathered smile, stepping inside out of the rain and holding out a thick manila envelope. “Good morning, Marin. The boss asked me to drop this off personally.”
Marin looked at the envelope nervously, stepping back to let him in. “Is... is this about my termination? Did HR change their minds again?”
“No,” Abel chuckled, shaking his head. “Quite the opposite. Julian Vance is out of the state, and your final paycheck has been adjusted. In fact, look inside.”
Marin opened the flap. Inside was a cashier’s check for an amount that made her breath catch in her throat—it was more than she earned in six months, alongside official documentation confirming that the Santoro Foundation had assumed full financial responsibility for her mother’s care at Saint Agnes Care Center indefinitely.
Tears welled up in Marin’s eyes instantly. She pressed a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking. “I... I don't understand. Why would Mr. Santoro do this? I’m just a waitress. I’m nobody.”
“Nobody is a nobody in our house, Marin,” Abel said softly, his expression turning serious. “The boss has a rule. One rule he never breaks. And when someone steps on the people who can't fight back, the consequences are swift.”
Abel paused, glancing around the small, tidy apartment before looking back at her. “Speaking of Saint Agnes... there’s something else you should know. The administration there called this morning. Your mother had a visitor earlier today.”
Marin’s heart skipped a beat. Her mother hadn't recognized anyone in months, drifting in and out of consciousness due to her failing health. “A visitor? Who?”
“A man named Marcus Vance,” Abel said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Julian’s older brother. He’s a partner at a rival logistics firm downtown, and he wasn't happy about his little brother getting run out of town by the Santoros.”
Marin’s blood ran cold. “My mother... is she safe?”
“Right now, she is,” Abel assured her firmly. “We’ve placed security around the care center. But Marcus Vance isn't the type of man to let things go quietly. He’s looking for leverage against Rafael. And right now, you and your mother are at the center of it.”
Marin gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, her knuckles turning white. She had spent her entire life trying to stay invisible, trying to work hard and keep her head down so the world wouldn't crush her family. But now, she was standing at the epicenter of a war between Chicago’s most dangerous factions.
“What do we do?” Marin asked, looking up at Abel with a sudden, fierce determination in her eyes.
May you like
Abel smiled faintly, seeing the same quiet steel in her that he had respected in Rafael for decades.
“We don't run,” Abel said. “We get ready.”
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