Chapter 5 - The Safehouse in the Woods
The transition of the twins from the locked tailor shop to a secure location outside the city was a matter of quiet, military precision. By 6:00 a.m., before the first morning light could break through the fog, the armored sedan pulled up to a small, stone-sided cottage nestled in the thick pine woods outside Willow Springs.
The property belonged to Nora’s brother, an old infantry veteran named Lucas who spent his retirement breeding working retriever dogs and keeping his gate locked against the state. The air here was clean, smelling of damp cedar and fresh pine needles, far from the sulfurous stench of the Calumet docks.
Inside the kitchen, the fire was roaring in the stone hearth, casting a warm, orange glow over the clean pine table.
Evelyn Carter sat in a wooden rocking chair, a thick wool shawl wrapped around her shoulders, her face clean of the warehouse grease. She was holding both of her daughters in her arms. June and Jade had buried their faces into her neck, their small hands tangled in her blue shirt as if they were trying to fuse their bodies back into one.
"They didn't cry, Evelyn," Nathan said, standing by the door, his dark coat damp from the rain. He had a small bandage across the scratch on his cheek, his gray eyes watching the reunion with a quiet, unmovable stillness. "They were very brave. They counted the sounds through the door. That’s how we found the terminal."
Evelyn looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears that she refused to let fall. "Daniel... my husband always said that the Russo name stood for something dark in this city. But he told me that if the world ever fell down, you were the only man who wouldn't lie to a mother."
"Your husband was a good mechanic, Evelyn," Nathan said, reaching into his vest and pulling out the silver keys to the auto shop in Cicero. He laid them on the pine table next to the bread basket. "The shop is clear. The oil pits have been filled with concrete, and the deeds have been transferred to a private trust under the girls' names. The Lucchese family won't be returning to Cicero."
"And your cousin?" she asked.
"Victor is currently attending an emergency meeting of the family council," Nathan said, his voice dropping to a cold, hard register. "He’s explaining his investment strategy to the board."
June slowly lifted her head from her mother’s shoulder, her dark eyes looking at Nathan with that old, serious focus that didn't belong to a nine-year-old child. She reached out her small hand, her fingers touching the silver ring on his left palm.
"Will the bad man with the smile come back, Mr. Nathan?" she whispered.
May you like
Nathan leaned down, his face inches from hers, his slate-gray eyes softening just enough to keep her from flinching. "No, June. The man with the smile has lost his license to trade. From now on, you and your sister only have to count the days until school starts."
He stood straight, adjusted his coat, and walked out onto the porch, the heavy oak door closing behind him with a solid, final thud that shut out the cold wind of the forest.
