Chapter 4 - A Midnight Call from Shadows
The autumn wind whipped through downtown Baltimore as Claire sat on a wooden bench in a quiet park two blocks from the corporate headquarters.
Her phone buzzed violently against her thigh, displaying an unknown caller ID with a restricted local exchange code.
She slid her thumb across the screen and pressed the phone to her ear without a moment of hesitation.
“You’re sitting in Lafayette Park,” a deep, gravelly voice murmured through the speaker.
Claire stood up slowly, scanning the perimeter of the tree-lined path until her eyes locked onto a black sedan parked near the curb.
“You have a habit of watching people when they're vulnerable, Mr. Vale,” Claire said into the phone, her voice completely steady.
The rear door of the sedan clicked open, revealing Dominic Vale sitting inside the dimly lit leather interior with his coat draped over his knees.
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“Get in, Claire,” Dominic instructed simply. “The morning air is too cold for someone who just got fired by an idiot.”
Claire hesitated for only a fraction of a second before walking across the damp pavement and sliding into the backseat beside Baltimore's most feared kingpin.
