Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Twelve years after her rescue, Keres tortures Oscar Lang to expose his partner behind a trafficking ring, but he dies before revealing the name. She maintains a caring facade at Father Mike’s church while planning a move against the Chicago Morettis. The chapter cements her mission, inner conflict, and looming family-linked vendetta.
Summary
Keres, now an adult, interrogates and tortures Oscar Lang, a trafficker tied to her past. Seeking the identity of his partner, she dismisses his claim about Salvatore Moretti and the Santangelos. Escalating the brutality, Keres mutilates him; Oscar chokes and suffers a fatal heart attack before revealing the partner’s name.
After erasing evidence, Keres rides away, frustrated that years of tracking Oscar yielded nothing actionable. She resolves to accelerate her plan and head to Chicago, determined to confront the Morettis and the history that scarred her and Phoenix.
Keres arrives at Father Mike’s church to help with after-school arts and crafts. Father Mike expresses concern, especially about Phoenix, who refuses medication and therapy. Keres acknowledges the limits of help until Phoenix chooses recovery, reflecting on Father Mike’s steadfast care since rescuing them and on the stability he provided compared to foster care.
Weighing how to explain an upcoming absence, Keres considers leaving without notice. That night, she surveils the Moretti mansion, focusing on Lorenzo, Dante, and Joey. She vows to dismantle their power, asserting that Moretti blood runs in her veins and committing fully to her long-awaited revenge.
Who Appears
- KeresProtagonist; tortures Oscar Lang for intel, fails to get a name, hides her actions while volunteering, and targets the Morettis.
- Oscar LangTrafficker victim; chained and mutilated during interrogation, dies of a heart attack before naming his partner.
- Father MikePriest and caretaker; worries about Keres and Phoenix, encourages therapy, anchors Keres’s semblance of normalcy.
- PhoenixKeres’s sister; traumatized, refuses medication and therapy, central to Keres’s protective drive.
- JosieNew volunteer at the church; briefly interacts while setting up for the children’s program.
- Lorenzo MorettiTargeted Chicago Moretti; asleep during Keres’s surveillance, emblem of her intended vendetta.
- Dante MorettiTargeted Chicago Moretti; part of the family Keres plans to destroy.
- Joey MorettiTargeted Chicago Moretti; another focus of Keres’s impending attack.