Chapter 9 - The Shadow In Queens
At 7:00 PM that evening, Clara stepped off the 7 train subway platform in Astoria, Queens, pulling her jacket close against the night chill.
The streetlights illuminated the quiet residential neighborhood as she walked down her familiar block toward her apartment building.
She carried her canvas tote bag over her shoulder, filled with textbooks and notes for her upcoming graduate thesis.
As she turned the corner near a small neighborhood deli, she noticed a dark grey SUV idling near the fire hydrant.
Its tinted windows reflected the street lamps, the engine humming quietly in the cool autumn air.
Clara slowed her pace, her instincts as a native New Yorker instantly alerting her to the unusual vehicle on her quiet street.
She reached inside her tote bag, her hand wrapping around her personal alarm keychain as she approached her front stoop.
The driver's door of the SUV opened, and a tall man in a dark leather jacket stepped out onto the sidewalk.
It was Miller—Harrison Vance’s head of private security.
"Miss Miller," Miller said, keeping his hands visible in his pockets as he took two steps toward her stoop.
"Mr. Vance would like to offer you a private conversation regarding your future in New York City."
May you like
Clara stood on the bottom step of her stoop, looking down at the man with absolute, unwavering icy composure.
"Tell Mr. Vance that if he wants to speak to me, he can contact my attorney at the Vance Foundation," Clara stated flatly.
