Chapter 7 - Whispers in the Yard
Back in the maximum-security wing of the federal penitentiary,
the prison yard was a concrete wasteland surrounded by high chain-link fences and barbed wire.
Inmates in bright orange jumpsuits paced back and forth,
their voices lost in the howling wind.
Daniel Carter walked the perimeter alone,
his hands shoved deep into his pockets,
his sharp eyes scanning every face in the yard.
Despite his imprisonment,
his reputation preceded him,
and other inmates gave him a wide berth,
recognizing the coiled spring of violence beneath his calm exterior.
A scarred inmate named Marcus,
a former enforcer for the syndicate,
approached Daniel slowly from behind.
"Word on the street is your empire has completely collapsed,
boss,"
Marcus muttered under his breath,
keeping his eyes fixed on the guard tower.
Daniel did not turn around,
his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"The empire was just concrete and paper,
Marcus,"
Daniel replied coldly.
"What matters is finding my daughter."
Marcus chuckled darkly,
shaking his head.
"You won't find her through normal channels,
boss.
The feds wiped all public records,
and your wife's legal team has airtight protection."
Daniel finally stopped walking,
turning to face Marcus with a terrifying stillness in his eyes.
"Then we use abnormal channels,"
Daniel said softly.
Marcus raised an eyebrow,
surprised by the relentless determination in the fallen kingpin's voice.
"You got friends left outside?"
Marcus asked.
"I have money,
Marcus,"
Daniel corrected him smoothly.
"And money talks louder than federal seals."
Daniel reached into his pocket,
slipping a smuggled cryptographic flash drive into Marcus's palm during a handshake.
"Inside this drive is the access key to an offshore account in Zurich,"
Daniel whispered.
"Find a programmer who can bypass the federal asset freeze,
and buy me a phone."
Marcus pocketed the drive swiftly,
nodding once before walking away into the crowd of inmates.
Daniel stood alone in the freezing wind,
a dark smile touching the corner of his mouth.
May you like
Claire thought she had caged the beast,
but she had only given him time to plot his revenge.
