Chapter 12 - The Aftermath
The sirens wailed in the distance, a choir of flashing red and blue lights cutting through the Chicago fog.
Lily, Cole, and Elena had managed to drag Mercer into one of Volkov’s intact Mercedes and speed away before the CPD descended on the steel mill.
They didn't go to a hospital. They went to an underground clinic on the South Side, run by a disgraced ex-military surgeon on Mercer’s payroll.
For six hours, Lily stood side-by-side with the surgeon, up to her elbows in blood, meticulously repairing the damage Volkov's ambush and Mercer's stubbornness had caused.
She tied every suture with absolute precision. She didn't let her hands shake until the final bandage was secured.
When she finally walked out into the waiting room, she was covered in sweat and iron.
Elena looked up from a plastic chair, tears in her eyes. "Is he...?"
"He's stable," Lily said, her voice hoarse. She leaned against the wall, sliding down until she hit the floor. "He's going to live."
Cole stood by the door, his rifle still slung over his shoulder. He looked at Lily, giving her a single, respectful nod.
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The next morning, the news anchors detailed the massive mafia takedown. Detective Frank Miller had found the ledger conveniently left on the hood of his squad car. It contained enough evidence to dismantle Volkov's entire syndicate.
The nightmare was finally over. But as Lily watched the news, she knew she could never go back to scanning charts in Ward 4.
