Chapter 9: Return to the Slums
Two days before the court hearing, Leo approached Arthur with a humble request. He asked to visit the old abandoned brick factory in the Industrial District where he and his mother had lived during her final days. He wished to leave fresh flowers at the quiet spot where she had passed.
Arthur hesitated, mindful of Marcus’s safety warnings, but seeing the deep emotional necessity in Leo’s eyes, he agreed. “We go together,” Arthur insisted. “With full security.”
A convoy of three black SUVs traveled down from the affluent hills into the gray, smoke-choked streets of the lower district. As the cars pulled up to the dilapidated brick factory, Leo stepped out, wearing a wool coat. The contrast between his present refined life and his past stark poverty hit him like a physical chill.
Leo walked through the broken archway of the factory, holding a bundle of white lilies. He knelt by a secluded corner near a brick pillar where light filtered through a cracked ceiling. He laid the flowers gently onto the cold ground.
“I’m safe now, Mom,” Leo whispered into the quiet air. “I found Uncle Arthur. And I’m helping people, just like you told me to.”
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Arthur stood a respectful distance away, his eyes misty. Suddenly, the sharp sound of crunching glass echoed behind them. Marcus’s hand instantly dropped to his side holster. “Mr. Vance! We have movement!”
Three unmarked dark vans skidded to a halt outside the factory doors, blocking the exit. Masked men armed with wooden clubs and iron rods stepped out, surrounding the perimeter. The trap had sprung.
