Chapter 16 - The Long Drive
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The ride back through the sleeping city of Chicago was a strange, silent tableau.
Gabriel Rossi, the most feared syndicate boss in the Midwest, sat in the spacious back seat of the armored Maybach. Beside him, taking up two entire seats, lay a battered, bloodied, hundred-and-fifty-pound Caucasian Shepherd.
Brutus rested his massive head on Gabriel's thigh. He was exhausted, his body trembling slightly from the lingering trauma of the night, but his amber eyes remained open, watching the city lights pass by through the tinted windows.
Gabriel gently stroked the dog's matted fur, careful to avoid the fresh cuts on his muzzle. He stared out the window, his mind racing. He had broken a dozen syndicate rules tonight. He had exposed his men, raided a rival operation, and risked a turf war with the cartels, all for a woman he didn't know and a child who couldn't even see his face.
It was bad business. It was reckless.
But as he felt the heavy, trusting weight of the dog against his leg, he knew he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Marco, who was still waiting at the diner.
"Boss," Marco answered on the first ring.
"We have him," Gabriel said simply. "He's banged up, but he's alive. We're ten minutes out."
"Thank God," Marco exhaled. "The mother has been pacing a hole in the floor for three hours."
Gabriel hung up the phone. He looked down at Brutus.
"You ready to see your girl?" Gabriel murmured.
Brutus let out a soft, huffing breath, his tail thumping weakly against the leather upholstery. He knew the tone. He knew they were close.
The black SUV pulled up to the curb outside Mrs. Fam's diner. The street was completely empty, bathed in the sickly yellow glow of the streetlamps. Gabriel's men had secured the perimeter, standing like silent sentinels in the shadows of the alleyways.
May you like
Gabriel pushed the heavy car door open. He didn't order the dog to move. He simply stepped out onto the wet pavement and waited.
Brutus gathered his massive legs underneath him. He winced as he put weight on his bruised ribs, but he forced himself out of the vehicle. He didn't wait for Gabriel to lead him. He put his nose to the air, catching the familiar scent leaking from the cracks in the diner's front door, and let out a loud, joyous bark.
