Chapter 7 - THE RACE AGAINST TIME
The rain poured in sheets as the armored SUV tore down the interstate toward the Chicago suburbs.
Gabriel drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other gripping a secondary satellite phone, trying desperately to reach his sister, Elena.
The phone rang out to voicemail for the fourth time.
“Damn it, Elena, pick up,” Gabriel muttered, slamming his fist against the dashboard.
I sat in the passenger seat, keeping a watchful eye on Lily, who was sleeping restlessly in the back.
“How far are we?” I asked.
“Twenty minutes,” Gabriel said, his eyes glued to the dark highway. “If Donato’s men reached her house first, we won't have much time.”
“Why would your uncle target your own family?”
“To force me out into the open,” Gabriel growled. “Donato knows I won't let anything happen to Elena or her kids. He's using them as bait to draw me into a trap.”
My stomach knotted with dread.
“And we're walking right into it.”
“We have no choice,” Gabriel said firmly. “Elena is all the family I have left—aside from the memory of Daniel.”
He glanced sideways at me.
“I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Rachel. I should have left you at the cabin.”
“I'm not a liability, Gabriel,” I said, lifting my chin. “I survived three years on the run from your syndicate. I can handle a rescue mission.”
A faint, appreciative smile touched the corner of his mouth.
“You really are Daniel's wife, aren't you? Fearless to the bone.”
Ten minutes later, the SUV crested the hill overlooking Elena’s quiet suburban cul-de-sac.
My heart plummeted.
Two unmarked black sedans were parked haphazardly across the front lawn.
The front door of the house hung wide open on splintered hinges.
Gabriel killed the headlights half a block away and cut the engine.
He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out two fully loaded Glock pistols, handing one to me.
“Can you shoot?” he asked quietly.
I took the cold steel weapon, remembering the lessons Daniel had given me in our backyard years ago.
“Yes,” I whispered, checking the magazine.
Gabriel’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, then softened with grim respect.
May you like
“Stay behind me, Rachel. When I give the signal, we move.”
We slipped out of the vehicle into the freezing downpour, creeping toward the open front door like ghosts in the night.
