Chapter 2 - The Apartment in East Brooklyn
The rain began to fall in heavy, rhythmic sheets as my dark SUV pulled up to the curb half a block away from a rundown brick apartment building in East Brooklyn. It was 1:30 AM.
Through the rain-streaked window, I watched a single light turn on on the third floor.
“My operative on the fire escape reports that she just entered,” Marcus said from the front seat. “She immediately locked all three deadbolts and pulled the shades. Her brother is inside, asleep in the living room on a hospital bed.”
I adjusted my coat, unbuckled my seatbelt, and opened the door.
“Mr. Sterling, let me send two men up first,” Marcus warned gently. “If Julian Vane is involved, this girl might be surrounded by dangerous people.”
“No,” I said firmly. “If she sees armed men, she’ll clam up or run. She protected my daughter four years ago, Marcus. Whatever happened, Maya Lin is the reason Isabella is alive tonight. I’m going alone.”
I walked up the creaky, narrow stairs of the apartment building, the smell of damp concrete and old pine cleaner filling the hallway. When I reached Apartment 3B, I didn't knock loudly. I gave three soft, deliberate taps on the wood.
Silence fell inside. Then the faint sound of footsteps sneaking toward the peephole.
“Maya,” I spoke softly through the door, keeping my tone warm and calm. “My name is Arthur Sterling. Isabella’s father. I’m alone. I just want to talk about my daughter.”
I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other side. A chain rattled. The door unlocked and opened three inches, held back by a heavy security chain.
Maya Lin looked at me through the gap. Her dark eyes were red-rimmed, wide with a mixture of terror and overwhelming guilt.
“Please, Mr. Sterling,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Go away. I told you at the hotel, I don't know your daughter. It was a mistake. She was confused.”
“My daughter stood up for the first time in four years, Maya,” I said gently, leaning closer so only she could hear. “She hasn't taken a step since the night my house burned down. She called you the 'angel from the fire.' She knew your eyes. She knew your voice.”
Tears spilled over Maya’s eyelashes, tracking down her pale cheeks.
“If you stay here... if you talk to me... they’ll hurt Leo,” she choked out, looking back over her shoulder into her dimly lit apartment.
“Who will hurt Leo?” I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Julian Vane?”
Maya’s breath caught. The color drained completely from her face. That single reaction confirmed everything.
May you like
“I have four armed security officers in the hallway right now, Maya,” I said softly. “I have the best medical team in the state on standby. If you let me in, I give you my word as a father and a man of honor: no one will ever touch your brother again. But I need the truth.”
Maya stared at me for three long, agonizing seconds. Then, with trembling hands, she unhooked the security chain and opened the door wide.
