Shadows to Light (Shadows of Justice 5) by Regan Black Read Free Book Online

Chicago proper and the surrounding twenty mile radius.
    She really hoped the address was within the el circuit. Allies or not, she wasn't sure how to reach Cleveland for his not-a-taxi transportation help.
    When several addresses popped up, she sighed. But what else was on her agenda? It's not like she'd be late to a shift or anything. She copied and pasted the details to her cell card, and noticing the convenient icon, linked the addresses to the el routes. All of the addresses were inside Chicago city limits. At least that was easy.
    She closed those apps and was about to withdraw her card when she noticed a new icon in the menu tray. With a tap she enlarged the logo and connected to an investment firm partnered with her bank.
    Wary, she jumped when Kevin came back to check on her. "I'm fine really. Almost done here."
    "Take your time."
    When he'd wandered back to help a customer with a carry out order, she clicked the link. The login page came up instantly. She gaped when she saw her name filling the field. A box popped up on the screen, requesting her thumbprint.
    What did she have to lose? Mira pressed her thumb as directed and tried not to look like a criminal while the system security did its thing. Account details filled the screen, starting with a 'thanks for trusting us' message dated yesterday, two deposit entries a week apart, and ending with a balance that nearly toppled her off the barstool.
    Well, Merry Christmas to me. Except she didn't know anyone in the mood to give her that kind of money. The first entry corresponded with, and she opened the details page to verify, her personal bank account. The second entry indicated a new investment account with a balance capable of pushing her into a new tax bracket.
    Who would give her this kind of money? Whoever it was must have hijacked her financial details after they'd sedated her. It was the only solution that made sense. But why would they fund her? To prove they could, or to blackmail her? And why so much? Instant wealth was convenient, sure, but she wondered about the current interest rate on free money. Exactly how many people would she owe before she found her dad?
    With a sketchy plan forming in her mind, she returned to her room for her contacts and the coat, another courtesy of her invisible allies. She looked forward to what that little display revealed as she investigated her father's old clinic sites.
    Leaving from Leanore's kitchen door, she walked out of the alley toward the street. The afternoon sun made the city sparkle, winking off the polished windows of the high rises, but the wind battered her – as only wind in Chicago could. Still, as she walked to the el station she felt energized for the first time since the enforcers had picked her up. As the el whisked her away from the financial district toward her first stop, she watched the view change. Every year, the city splurged on Christmas decorations for the main streets in the 'good' neighborhoods. The unadorned contrast of struggling areas only underlined one of her dad's first goals – to help people without options.
    The first planned stop didn't require changing trains and she got off with the small crowd. But a glance from the platform told her this stop wouldn't be much help. The area near the station had been leveled sometime in the past decade and what replaced it was up to code. There wouldn't be a classic tumbler lock anywhere around here, only card or biometric access.
    She walked past the block anyway, just to be thorough. Where the clinic had once been, she saw a dormant community garden blanketed by snow. She considered it a victory for the neighborhood. Healthy food was vital to a healthy body, she reminded herself, trying to think like her father as she returned to the platform and waited for the next train.
    It was late and the light was fading when she reached the University of Chicago campus. This would have to be her last stop for the day and she sent up a prayer it would