Luca walked behind me, his hand resting near his holster.

We got into the back seat of the heavy black SUV.

The driver started the engine, and the heater began to blow lukewarm air.

Marcus sat next to me, staring straight ahead as we pulled out of the driveway.

The tires crunched on the gravel and ice as we left the cabin behind.

I looked out the window at the dark trees passing by.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I did not dare pull it out with Marcus sitting so close.

I could feel the vibration against my hip, a steady reminder of the web Sophia had spun.

She had frozen the money, but she had also trapped me.

She was using me as a shield to take Marcus’s territory.

If Marcus gave up the docks, Sophia would control the shipping routes into Chicago.

She would be just as powerful as Marcus, and just as dangerous.

I realized then that Sophia’s help was never about my freedom.

It was about her own climb to the top of the empire.