Chapter 6 - The Sanctuary
Dr. Aris’s clinic was a private facility,
hidden behind the facade of an old brownstone.
It was where the elite of the underworld went,
when they couldn't risk the questions of a public hospital.
Vincent paced the waiting room,
his boots clicking rhythmically against the checkered floor.
Sophie had finally fallen asleep on one of the velvet sofas,
exhaustion having claimed her at last.
She looked so small,
so peaceful,
despite the dried blood still staining her white dress.
Vincent stopped pacing and stood over her,
his shadow stretching across the room.
He reached out to touch her hair,
but stopped himself,
his hand hovering inches away.
He was a man of violence,
a man whose touch usually brought pain or fear.
What right did he have to comfort a child?
The door to the treatment room opened,
and Dr. Aris stepped out,
looking tired but calm.
"She’s going to be fine,
Vincent,"
the doctor said,
wiping his glasses.
"Concussion,
two broken ribs,
and significant bruising,"
"but no internal bleeding that we can't manage."
Vincent felt a weight lift from his shoulders,
a weight he hadn't even realized he was carrying.
"When can she leave?"
"A few days,"
Aris replied.
"She needs rest,
and she needs to feel safe."
"She’ll be safe,"
Vincent said,
his voice dropping to a low growl.
"I’ll have men at the door twenty-four hours a day."
"And what about the girl?"
the doctor asked,
glancing at Sophie.
"She stays with her mother,"
Vincent said.
"I’ll arrange for a private suite."
He walked over to the window,
looking out at the gray dawn breaking over the skyline.
The Vipers were gone,
but he knew they were just a symptom of a larger problem.
Someone had sent them.
Someone had decided to test his boundaries by targeting the weak.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"Find out who gave the Vipers that address,"
he told the person on the other end.
"I want a name by noon."
"And Tony?"
"Yes,
Boss?"
"Check the Falcone family."
"This smells like their kind of cowardice."
He hung up and looked back at Sophie.
The girl stirred in her sleep,
murmuring something he couldn't hear.
He realized then that he couldn't just drop them back into their old life.
They were his responsibility now.
And in Chicago,
May you like
being under the protection of Vincent Torino,
was both a blessing and a curse.
