Chapter 3 - The Wolf at the DoorThe revelation hit Mara like a physical blow.
“What are you saying?” she whispered, the color draining from her face. “They know I helped you?”
“They know someone patched me up before I vanished,” Adrian said, turning back to his desk. He pressed a button on his intercom. “Victor, bring up feed four.”
A wall-mounted screen flickered to life, showing grainy CCTV footage from the alley behind Mara’s apartment building. On screen, two men in heavy leather jackets—men with jagged facial scars and cold, dead eyes—were standing right where Mara had dragged Adrian hours earlier. One of them was kneeling, dipping his fingers into the frozen slush where a trace of Adrian’s blood had melted the ice.
“Dante’s men,” Adrian murmured, his jaw tightening so hard the muscle ticked. “They traced the blood trail before the snow could cover it completely. They know a woman matching your height and description bought gauze at the 24-hour pharmacy down the block.”
Mara stumbled backward, her hip bumping against the edge of a mahogany table. The reality of her quiet, predictable life shattering into a million jagged pieces crashed down on her.
“I need to go home,” she said, panic rising in her chest. “I need to pack a bag, get my cat, go to the police—”
“The police are on Dante’s payroll, Mara,” Adrian interrupted sharply, cutting off her escape route. “If you walk out those front gates right now, Dante’s enforcers will intercept you before you reach the end of the block. They won’t ask questions. They’ll just cut your throat to see how I react.”
She stared at him, chest heaving, the air in the luxurious room suddenly feeling thin and suffocating.
“So what? You keep me here like a prisoner?”
“I keep you here because it’s the only place in this city where you are safe,” Adrian said, stepping closer. He looked down at her with an intensity that made her breath catch. “You saved my life, Mara. Now, you’re going to let me return the favor. You stay under my roof, under my protection, until I eradicate Dante and every rat loyal to him.”
“And if I refuse?”
May you like
A grim, humorless smile touched Adrian’s lips.
“You won’t.”
