Chapter 4 - The Name on the Shadow
By 5:00 a.m., the wind had died down, leaving Chicago buried under two feet of pristine, eerie snow. Melanie turned on her small, ancient television, keeping the volume turned down to a faint murmur.
The morning news broadcast opened with a breaking news banner: AMBUSH IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT: TWO DEAD, LOCAL BUSINESSMAN MISSING.
Melanie leaned closer to the screen.
The news anchor’s voice was crisp. "Late last night, a heavily armored vehicle belonging to shipping magnate Lucian Vance was found riddled with gunfire near 14th Street. Authorities have confirmed the death of driver Paul Rossi and an unidentified gunman. Lucian Vance, often rumored by federal authorities to hold absolute control over Chicago’s underworld, remains unaccounted for. Sources indicate Vance’s two young daughters were in the vehicle at the time of the attack. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward."
Melanie’s breathing stopped.
Lucian Vance.
Even if you lived in the poorest corner of the city, you knew that name. He was the invisible emperor of Chicago—a legendary, ruthless figure feared by politicians, police chiefs, and street gangs alike. Some called him a monster; others called him a king. But everyone knew that crossing Lucian Vance meant instant death.
And his missing daughters were sleeping on her twin mattress five feet away.
Melanie turned to look at the girls. They weren't mob royalty to her; they were just cold, traumatized little children who had lost their mother and seen their driver murdered in front of them.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated violently against the kitchen table. It was an emergency alert broadcasted to every mobile phone in the Chicago area:
AMBER ALERT: SOPHIA VANCE (6) & LILY VANCE (3). LAST SEEN NEAR INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT. EXTREME DANGER. DO NOT APPROACH SUSPECTS.
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Melanie grabbed her coat. She knew her small apartment was no longer safe. If the police or Vance’s enemies started sweeping the neighborhood, a single woman living above a laundromat with two sudden children would be spotted in minutes.
"Sophia," Melanie said softly, waking the older girl up gently. "We have to move."
