Chapter 13 - WAR ON THE STREETS|
Frank Moretti’s humiliation sparked a hidden, brutal mob war across Chicago.
For three weeks, the city felt the tremors of gunfire in back alleys and burning cars in abandoned lots. Vincent hit Moretti’s operations with surgical precision, gutting his rival's empire piece by piece.
Throughout the chaos, Vincent kept a double security detail around Elena’s Flowers. But he stayed away personally. He knew that being near them right now would only put a target on their backs.
Elena stood by the front window of her shop, watching the two unmarked black sedans parked across the street. It was raining again.
"He hasn't been here in three weeks," she said quietly to Rosa, who was trimming stems at the counter.
"He's keeping you safe, Elena," Rosa said gently. "A man like Vincent... his world is full of fire. When things get hot, he steps away so the sparks don't burn you."
Suddenly, the front door chimed open.
Elena spun around, hoping to see Vincent’s tall frame. But it wasn't him.
It was a young boy—a street courier—wearing a rain poncho. He slid an unmarked yellow envelope onto the counter and ran back out into the storm without saying a word.
Elena picked up the envelope. Inside was a single photograph.
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It was a picture of Sophie playing in the park behind her school, taken from a long-distance lens. On the back of the photo, four words were written in crude black ink:
“HE CAN’T PROTECT YOU.”
