Chapter 9 - THE ENCOUNTER AT GABLE’S CORNER
Before Arthur could reply to my resolute declaration, the harsh glare of headlights cut through the rainy darkness outside the diner windows.
A sleek black sedan pulled up abruptly to the curb, its engine idling with a low, menacing purr that instantly sent a spike of adrenaline racing through my veins.
Arthur’s posture snapped from relaxed to hyper-vigilant in a fraction of a second, his hand sliding subtly toward the inside pocket of his trench coat where a concealed firearm rested.
The passenger door of the sedan swung open, and Marcus stepped out into the pouring rain without an umbrella, his burly frame cutting an intimidating figure against the dim streetlights.
Marcus had tracked Arthur’s digital footprint across the bridge, suspecting that his boss's trusted lieutenant was hiding a secret betrayal.
He pushed open the heavy oak door of Gable’s Corner, the bell chiming loudly as he stepped inside with water dripping from the brim of his black cap.
His cold, calculating eyes swept across the empty diner until they landed squarely on Arthur sitting at the table with me.
A nasty, triumphant smirk spread across Marcus’s face as he realized he had stumbled upon the missing piece of the puzzle.
Marcus jeered loudly, asking Arthur if this was where he had been sneaking off to, and mocking him for playing nursemaid to a runaway woman.
Arthur stood up slowly from his chair, his expression turning into an impenetrable mask of ice as he ordered Marcus to turn around and walk back out to the car.
Marcus laughed arrogantly, pulling a heavy steel revolver from his belt holster and pointing it directly across the room at Arthur’s chest.
He declared that both of us were coming back to Manhattan tonight, whether in handcuffs or in body bags, so he could collect the bounty Nico had placed on our heads.
My breath caught in my throat, but instead of panicking, a cold, calculated fury replaced the fear in my chest.
I remembered the hidden ledger Arthur had mentioned earlier that evening, and I realized Marcus was desperate because he knew his embezzlement was about to be exposed.
With lightning speed, I kicked my heavy wooden chair backward into the aisle, creating a momentary distraction as Marcus flinched and shifted his aim toward me.
Arthur used that split-second opening to launch himself across the table, crashing bodily into Marcus and driving him hard against the front window glass.
The glass shattered with a deafening roar of splintering wood and falling shards, sending both men crashing out onto the wet pavement of the sidewalk.
Rain poured into the diner through the broken window, mixing with the puddles of water on the floor as I grabbed a heavy iron skillet from the grill station.
Stepping cautiously toward the shattered opening, I watched Marcus pin Arthur to the ground, his gun raised and ready to deliver a fatal shot.
Without a moment's hesitation, I swung the heavy iron skillet down with all my strength against the side of Marcus’s head.
A dull, sickening thud echoed through the alley as Marcus’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed unconscious onto the wet concrete.
Arthur spat a mouthful of blood onto the pavement, rolling off the heavy body and looking up at me in stunned disbelief.
Sirens began to wail in the distance, cutting through the rainy night as the police and rival units were drawn toward the sudden violence in the quiet Astoria neighborhood.
Arthur grabbed my wrist with a firm, urgent grip, telling me we had less than two minutes before the entire street was swarming with cops and Nico’s enforcers.
I pulled my hand away, looking down at the unconscious man at our feet and realizing there was no turning back for either of us now.
Arthur whispered that I needed to pack a bag immediately and disappear deeper into the country, because Nico would now know for certain that I was linked to the collapse of his empire.
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Instead of running away in terror, I looked back at the ruined window of the diner, my jaw set with a fierce, unbreakable determination.
I told Arthur that I was done running from shadows, and that if Nico wanted to settle this score, he was going to have to come looking for me himself.
