Chapter 5 - The Safehouse
Hannah drove the stolen pickup truck through the quiet, predawn streets, keeping well below the speed limit to avoid unwanted police attention.
Lorenzo sat in the passenger seat, his eyes closed, his breathing labored and shallow.
The adrenaline that had fueled their escape was rapidly fading, leaving him completely vulnerable to his severe injuries.
They arrived at a rundown, brick apartment building located in a neglected, working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.
"This is it," Hannah whispered, parking the truck in a dark alleyway behind the building.
She helped Lorenzo out of the vehicle, wrapping his arm securely around her shoulders as they approached the rusted fire escape.
They climbed the metal stairs slowly, Lorenzo stifling groans of agony with every step they took toward the third floor.
Hannah pounded desperately on a chipped wooden door, praying her cousin was actually home.
After a few tense moments, the door cracked open, secured by a heavy chain lock.
A young, tired-looking man with messy hair peeked out, his eyes widening in pure shock when he saw Hannah.
"Hannah? What the hell are you doing here at five in the morning?" her cousin, Leo, asked loudly.
"Leo, please let us in, it is a matter of life and death," Hannah pleaded, glancing nervously down the fire escape.
Leo undid the chain, pulling the door open and allowing them to stumble into the small, messy living room.
He locked the door quickly behind them, turning to look at the massive, bleeding man leaning heavily against his cousin.
"Who is this guy? Did you hit someone with your car?" Leo panicked, grabbing a dirty towel from the kitchen counter.
"No, Leo, he was shot," Hannah explained, guiding Lorenzo to the worn-out sofa in the center of the room.
Leo’s face drained of all color, his hands shaking violently as he realized the magnitude of the situation.
"Shot? Hannah, we have to call an ambulance right now!" Leo yelled, reaching for his cell phone.
Before Leo could dial a single number, Lorenzo’s hand shot out with terrifying speed, grabbing Leo by the throat.
Even weakened, the mafia boss possessed more raw, explosive power than the young man could ever hope to fight.
"If you make a single phone call, I will snap your neck before you finish dialing," Lorenzo promised, his voice a low, lethal growl.
Leo dropped the phone instantly, his eyes wide with absolute, unadulterated terror.
"Let him go," Hannah commanded firmly, placing her hand gently over Lorenzo’s massive fist.
Lorenzo looked at her, his dark green eyes burning with defensive fury, but slowly released his grip on Leo’s throat.
"He is my family, he won't betray us," Hannah assured Lorenzo softly, turning back to her terrified cousin.
"Leo, this is Lorenzo Moretti."
Leo gasped out loud, stumbling backward until his back hit the kitchen wall, fully recognizing the name of the most feared man in Chicago.
"You brought the mob boss to my apartment?!" Leo shrieked in a panicked whisper.
"His own men tried to kill him tonight," Hannah explained urgently. "If anyone finds out he is alive, we are all dead."
"I need your medical supplies, Leo, the heavy trauma kit you stole from the clinic last year."
Leo, still paralyzed by fear, slowly pointed a trembling finger toward a plastic bin under the television stand.
Hannah rushed over, pulling out a stolen, fully stocked paramedic trauma bag.
She returned to the sofa, kneeling beside Lorenzo and gently unbuttoning his blood-stained shirt.
The stitches Dr. Caldwell had quickly applied were tearing, and fresh, bright red blood was seeping slowly into his bandages.
"I need to clean this and re-stitch the tears," Hannah said, her voice shaking slightly as she looked at the deep wounds.
Lorenzo looked down at her, his expression completely devoid of fear or pain, simply watching her hands.
"Do what you have to do, Hannah," Lorenzo instructed calmly, leaning his head back against the sofa cushions.
"I trust you."
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Those three words echoed louder than a bomb blast in the small, quiet apartment.
The most dangerous, paranoid man in the entire city completely trusted the maid everyone else had mocked.
