Chapter 8 - The South Side Toll
Thirty miles away, in a modest, sunlit brick bungalow on Chicago’s industrial South Side, Penny Hodge was attempting to drink a cup of instant coffee while her elderly mother fussed over the white gauze wrapped tightly around her right palm. "Penny, for goodness' sake, you could have been killed!" her mother scolded for the fourth time that morning, gently dabbing antiseptic near the deep laceration caused by the shattered courtyard lamp. "Breaking into a billionaire's mansion on the North Shore with a plumber's wrench sounds like a plot from a bad paperback novel, not a Tuesday night job!" Penny winced, pulling her hand back with a affectionate groan. "Ma, the man was having a seizure while his guards stood outside playing cards. I couldn't just walk away and pretend I didn't hear it." "And now the federal marshals are parked outside our driveway in an unmarked sedan," her mother pointed out, gesturing toward the front window where a black SUV had indeed been stationed since dawn to ensure the star witness of the Moretti case remained safe. Penny sighed, rubbing her temples. She loved her work. She loved tearing down old walls, tracing frayed wires, bringing dead circuits back to life, and figuring out the complex puzzles that stumped every corporate contractor in the city. But she was just an independent subcontractor; she didn't belong in the high-stakes, ruthless world of Chicago’s corporate elite. Before she could finish her coffee, a low, heavy rumble echoed from the quiet street outside. Penny walked to the front window and parted the floral curtains. A sleek, midnight-black Maybach limousine was gliding smoothly down the modest residential street, pulling up directly behind the federal SUV. The tinted rear door swung open, and Dominic Moretti stepped out onto the cracked asphalt, looking entirely out of place in his impeccably tailored charcoal suit amidst the modest working-class homes. Within seconds, two federal agents exited the SUV to secure the perimeter, while Dominic walked straight up the concrete walkway toward the front porch. Penny’s heart gave an unexpected, sharp thud against her ribs. She wiped her hands on her jeans, took a deep breath, and walked toward the front door just as the brass knocker rattled against the wood.
