Chapter 5: Maya’s Quiet Hands
The next morning, the Manhattan sun broke through the autumn clouds, casting bright golden shafts across the brownstone’s library.
Eleanor had Mrs. Gable unpack three boxes of new clothes purchased from a nearby boutique: soft cashmere sweaters, corduroy skirts, warm wool socks, and sturdy leather boots.
Maya sat at the mahogany dining table, eating a bowl of warm oatmeal with fresh berries.
Every time a floorboard creaked, Maya flinched, her eyes darting to the heavy wooden front door.
""You are safe here, Maya,"" Eleanor said, sitting beside her, wearing a simple wool cardigan and slacks. ""Nobody can enter this house without my permission. I have stationed private security at the front gates and the garden wall.""
""The men with the leather jackets said they would take me away if Mommy didn't give them five thousand dollars,"" Maya whispered, clutching her silver spoon tightly.
""Those men will never come near you or your mother again,"" Eleanor stated with cold, absolute finality.
Eleanor pulled out her private telephone and dialed Marcus Reed, the city's premier criminal defense and civil litigation attorney.
""Marcus,"" Eleanor said without preamble. ""I need you at my residence in twenty minutes. Bring your top forensic investigators. A predatory extortion ring has been terrorizing my daughter in Queens. I want every bank account, every phone number, and every associate connected to them identified and delivered to the United States Attorney by noon.""
""Consider it done, Eleanor,"" Reed answered.
May you like
Eleanor looked at Maya, who was watching her with growing wonder. The little girl realized that the grandmother who had seemed like a terrifying giant on the gala floor was now an immovable fortress standing between her family and the darkness.
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