Chapter 8 - The Final BalanceThe private airstrip at Midway was dark and slick with rain as our armored Mercedes pulled right up to the staircase of Gabriel’s private Gulfstream jet.
In the back seat, Eli was wrapped in a warm cashmere blanket, sleeping peacefully against my chest, completely oblivious to the war we had just survived.
Julian Vance was already secured. Mason had intercepted him at his downtown penthouse less than an hour after the Evanston siege failed, dragging him out in handcuffs before he could board a private flight to Zurich.
Gabriel stepped out of the Mercedes first, the cold night wind whipping his dark coat around his legs. He opened my door, offering a strong, steady hand to help me out of the car.
"Are you sure you want to board this plane?" Gabriel asked quietly, looking down at me as the jet engines whined in the background, preparing for takeoff. "Once we cross international airspace, there's no coming back to ordinary life, Claire. You won't be an accountant in a cardigan anymore."
I looked down at Eli, then up at the most feared man in Chicago. The soft-spoken woman who apologized when people bumped into her was gone. She had died in that warehouse in Hammond, replaced by something much sharper, much stronger, and completely unafraid of the dark.
"I haven't worn a cardigan in days, Gabriel," I said softly, a faint smile touching my lips. "And besides... who is going to audit your empire if I leave?"
A slow, genuine smile broke across Gabriel’s face—a rare, devastating expression that made the Chicago kingpin look entirely human.
He reached out, his hand gently touching my cheek, tracing the fading bruise with infinite care.
"Nobody," Gabriel whispered against the wind. "Nobody touches my books, and nobody touches you."
He gently scooped Eli into his arms with a tenderness that defied his ruthless reputation, holding his nephew securely against his chest with one arm while wrapping his other arm around my waist, guiding me up the metal steps toward the cabin.
May you like
As the heavy cabin door sealed shut behind us and the jet surged down the runway into the stormy Chicago night, I looked out the window at the glittering skyline below. I had never belonged in Gabriel Kane’s world.
Until now.
