Chapter 12 - The Battle for the Steps
By 7:30 AM, rain continued to fall over the grand front steps of The Grand Brooks Hotel in Chicago.
Hundreds of striking workers stood side-by-side, holding hands and singing old labor songs under the gray sky.
Henry stood at the top of the marble steps, flanked by Leo, Sarah, and hundreds of loyal hospitality staff.
A fleet of black private security vans pulled up to the curb, and thirty armed guards in tactical uniforms stepped out.
Marcus Vance led the squad, holding a high-powered bullhorn as he marched aggressively toward the front steps.
"This is a final warning!" Marcus shouted through the bullhorn, his voice amplified across the noisy street.
"You are trespassing on private corporate property! Clear the steps immediately or you will be removed by force!"
The striking workers didn't budge an inch; instead, they locked arms tighter, forming an unbreakable human wall.
"You don't command these people, Marcus!" Henry shouted down from the top landing, his voice firm and steady.
"You serve men who steal from working families, while these people built every brick of this city's hospitality!"
Marcus sneered, signaling his tactical squad to advance up the wet marble steps with nightsticks drawn.
"Move them out!" Marcus ordered ruthlessly.
Before the guards could take three steps, a convoy of black-and-white Chicago Police Department cruisers screeched onto the street.
Dozens of officers stepped out, led by Police Commissioner Thomas Hayes—a close personal friend of the late Clara Brooks.
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"Stand down, Marcus!" Commissioner Hayes ordered through his cruiser's loudspeaker, stepping onto the pavement.
"We have an emergency federal arrest warrant for you, Richard Sterling, and Arthur Croft for corporate fraud and attempted murder!"
