Chapter 6
At eleven o'clock that night, the penthouse was completely silent except for the hum of the climate control.
Julian was fast asleep in the master bedroom after drinking a glass of scotch laced with a mild sleeping aid Evelyn provided.
Evelyn moved silently through the dark apartment, dressed in a black rain coat over her clothes.
She took the service elevator down to the basement garage where her private driver was waiting.
Marcus, her loyal driver of fifteen years, looked at her with deep concern in the rearview mirror.
"Are you sure about this, Miss Evelyn?" Marcus asked as the heavy garage door rolled upward.
"If Mr. Vance finds out I took you to Brooklyn at this hour, he'll fire me immediately."
"Julian doesn't run this family yet, Marcus," Evelyn stated with fierce, quiet authority.
"Just drive me to the boathouse and stay near the car with your firearm ready."
The luxury sedan sped through the rain-soaked streets of Brooklyn, crossing under the Manhattan Bridge.
They arrived at an abandoned industrial pier lining the dark waters of the East River.
Marcus lowered the ramp, helping Evelyn roll her wheelchair out onto the wet asphalt.
The fog was thick, smelling heavily of saltwater, rust, and damp harbor rain.
A faint light flickered from inside the dilapidated wooden boathouse at the end of the pier.
Evelyn wheeled herself toward the entrance, her heart pounding against her ribs like a sledgehammer.
She pushed open the rotting wooden door, revealing a dimly lit room filled with old shipping crates.
Standing near a small kerosene heater was the dirty ten-year-old boy, Leo, along with a pale woman.
May you like
The woman had the same striking green eyes as Evelyn, framed by dark circles of deep exhaustion.
"You actually came," Elena whispered, stepping forward out of the shadows.
