Chapter 4 - The Midnight ConfessionThe panic room behind the library was less of a dungeon and more of a luxury bunker—paneled in rich mahogany, stocked with books, a plush leather sofa, and a wall-mounted flat screen currently playing old Disney cartoons for Maya, who had already fallen asleep curled up against Mrs. Higgins's shoulder.
At 1:15 AM, the heavy steel door clicked open.
Cade stepped inside, his jacket discarded, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms corded with muscle and crisscrossed with faded white lines of old trauma. He looked tired. Not physically weak, but weighed down by an invisible gravity that came with ruling an empire built on blood and concrete.
Nora was sitting on the edge of the sofa, watching Maya sleep.
"She's out," Nora whispered, not turning around. "The adrenaline wore off. She thinks it was an earthquake."
Cade walked over, quietly picking up a cashmere throw blanket from an armchair and draping it gently over Maya's small shoulders. He then walked over to Nora, sitting down beside her on the sofa. The leather dipped under his weight.
"The perimeter is secure," Cade said quietly. "Three men from the opposing faction were intercepted three blocks away. They won't be throwing anything else tonight."
Nora turned her head to look at him. The harsh overhead lights of the bunker cast deep shadows across his face, accentuating the scar near his eyebrow.
"You live like this all the time?" she asked.
"This is a Tuesday," Cade replied dryly.
"Why me, Cade?" The question had been burning a hole in her chest all evening, eclipsing the fear, the luxury, and the danger. "Out of all the women in Chicago—socialites, daughters of allied bosses, women who actually know how to navigate this world—why did you pick a exhausted diner waitress who was crying in a phone booth?"
Cade turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers. The air between them grew thick, heavy with unsaid things.
"Because everyone in my world has a price, Nora," he said, his voice dropping to a raw, unvarnished register. "Politicians sell their votes for campaign contributions. Capos sell their loyalty for territory. Women in my social circle sell their affection for a last name and a diamond ring."
He reached out, his large, scarred hand gently cupping her chin, his thumb brushing across her lower lip. Nora’s breath hitched.
"You," Cade continued, his voice rough with an emotion she couldn't quite name, "spent your last forty dollars on asthma medication for a child who isn't even biologically yours, while you ate stale toast and wore shoes that were falling apart. You didn't ask me for a dime. You didn't even want my money. You just wanted to keep your family safe."
He leaned in closer, his gaze burning into her soul.
"I didn't pick you to be a shield against the feds, Nora. I picked you because you are the only real thing in a city full of ghosts. And if I have to burn every bridge in Illinois to keep you safe in my world, I’ll do it with a smile."
Nora’s heart hammered against her ribs. She raised her hand, her fingers trembling slightly, and gently touched the scar near his eyebrow. Cade closed his eyes at the contact, leaning into her palm like a wild animal finally accepting warmth.
May you like
"You're insane, Cade Moreno," she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"Probably," he murmured, his eyes opening, dark and fierce. "And you're stuck with me for at least ninety days."
