Chapter 2 - THE MAN WHO KNEW MY FATHER
I grabbed the fireplace poker.
The basement door handle moved.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
I backed toward the wall.
“Norah?”
It was a man's voice.
I didn't recognize it.
The lock clicked.
My hand tightened around the poker.
The door opened.
A man stepped inside wearing a black suit and black gloves.
He wasn't carrying a weapon.
That somehow made him worse.
He smiled.
“Mr. Costello said you'd be here.”
I said nothing.
His gaze dropped toward the bed.
To the brass key.
His smile disappeared.
“You have that.”
I moved the poker higher.
He sighed.
“Put it down.”
“No.”
“You don't understand what's happening.”
“I understand that you're in my room at three in the morning.”
He took one step forward.
“Your father had a habit of hiding things.”
My heart kicked.
“Who are you?”
“Daniel Rusk.”
The name meant nothing.
Then I remembered hearing Arthur's guards mention it.
Rusk.
Security chief.
One of Arthur's most trusted men.
Which meant Arthur was wrong.
There were more traitors than he knew.
Daniel looked at the key.
“That belonged to Thomas Hayes.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was there when he gave it away.”
My skin prickled.
“Gave it to who?”
Daniel smiled.
“Arthur.”
I almost laughed.
“That makes no sense.”
“It will.”
He reached inside his coat.
I swung the poker.
He jumped back just as something shattered behind me.
A bullet struck the wall.
I screamed.
Daniel grabbed me and dragged me behind the boiler.
“Down!”
Another shot tore through the door.
Daniel swore.
“Who is shooting?”
He looked toward the staircase.
Then his face went pale.
“Not who I thought.”
The gunfire stopped.
For ten seconds, there was complete silence.
Then footsteps retreated upstairs.
Daniel released me.
“Listen carefully.”
I stared at him.
“Arthur is alive because your father saved him once.”
“From what?”
“From Gabriel.”
My eyes widened.
“His mentor?”
Daniel nodded.
“Gabriel planned to replace Arthur.”
“Why?”
“Because Arthur refused to kill an innocent family.”
That did not sound like the Arthur I knew.
Daniel noticed my expression.
“People become monsters in different ways, Norah.”
He looked toward the ceiling.
“Arthur became one because he thought it was the only way to keep everyone else alive.”
“That's supposed to make me feel better?”
“No.”
Daniel looked at me.
“It is supposed to make you understand that tonight's attack wasn't about money.”
“Then what?”
“You.”
I felt the words physically.
“What?”
“Your father hid something before he died.”
“What?”
Daniel looked at the key.
“A list.”
“What list?”
“The names of every judge, police commander, politician, and businessman Gabriel bribed.”
My mind went blank.
“Why would my father hide it?”
“Because whoever controls that list controls Chicago.”
A noise came from upstairs.
Daniel immediately reached for his gun.
“We have to move.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere Arthur can't be tracked.”
I stared at him.
“You said Arthur knew.”
“He doesn't.”
“Then why did he give me the key?”
Daniel's face changed.
“He didn't.”
“What?”
Daniel shook his head slowly.
“That key was stolen from Gabriel's safe twenty years ago.”
He looked at me.
“Your father took it.”
My chest tightened.
“Then why did Arthur say it belonged to him?”
Daniel gave me a grim smile.
“Because Arthur never gave you the whole truth.”
A gunshot exploded upstairs.
Daniel grabbed my hand.
We ran.
The moment we reached the stairwell, a body rolled down the steps.
It landed at my feet.
I looked down.
One of Arthur's guards.
Dead.
His throat had been cut.
Pinned to his shirt was a white card.
May you like
Three words were written in red ink.
THE GIRL REMEMBERS.
