Chapter 2 - The Cold Light of Day
The key stuck in the deadbolt of Harper’s apartment, requiring a violent jiggle before the lock finally gave way. She pushed the heavy, splintered door open, immediately met by the freezing draft that meant the landlord had shut off the radiators again.
It was 4:30 AM. The adrenaline that had fueled her confrontation with the terrifying man in the midnight-blue trench coat had evaporated, leaving behind a hollow, aching exhaustion.
Harper locked the door behind her and limped down the narrow hallway. She peeked into the tiny second bedroom. Leo was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The sight of her eight-year-old brother usually brought her peace, but tonight, her eyes drifted to the small mini-fridge in the corner.
She walked over and opened it. The harsh bulb illuminated exactly three vials of insulin. Four days' worth.
Harper closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the cold metal of the fridge. A million dollars. She had slapped a million dollars onto a car window. With a single stroke of a pen, that man could have bought Leo a lifetime supply of medication. He could have paid off the bank that was threatening to throw them onto the street by Friday. He could have bought her a knee surgery, a safe home, a life.
But Harper knew the streets of Chicago better than she knew her own reflection. Men who wore suits like that, who traveled with armed mercenaries and commanded silence just by breathing, did not give away fortunes out of the goodness of their hearts. They purchased souls. If she had taken that money, she would belong to him. And Harper Quinn belonged to no one but her brother.
She walked into the kitchen, picked up the foreclosure notice sitting on the counter, and threw it into the trash can. She would take an extra shift at the diner. She would sell her mother’s old silver locket. She would scrub floors with a toothbrush if she had to.
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She would survive, just as she always did.
As the sun began to rise, casting a pale, gray light over the city, Harper wrapped herself in a heavy blanket and sat on the edge of the sofa. She tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw storm-water gray eyes staring back at her, promising a game she wasn't sure she knew how to play.
