Chapter 3 - THE RETURN TO THE SHADOWSThe convoy of black SUVs didn't take us back to Albany. Instead, they turned down an unpaved logging track hidden behind a thick stand of hemlock trees, leading to a sprawling, modernist estate built directly into the side of the mountain. Stone, glass, and steel merged seamlessly with the rugged wilderness, completely invisible from the main highway.
Inside, the estate was a fortress of quiet luxury. Armed guards stood silently at intersections of slate hallways, nodding respectfully as Adrien walked past.
He led me to a private suite overlooking the valley below, where the snowstorm was now raging in earnest, battering the floor-to-ceiling windows. A roaring fire crackled in a minimalist hearth.
"You'll stay here," Adrien said, gesturing to a plush sofa draped in cashmere throws. "A doctor will be up in five minutes to check you for hypothermia. Don't argue—your core temperature dropped dangerously low."
"I can't just hide out in a mountain fortress, Mr. Moretti," I said, standing my ground despite my shaking legs. "Daniel has my car, my apartment, my entire life. If I don't go back, the police will—"
"The police are already looking into the disappearance of Clare Bennett," Adrien interrupted smoothly, turning toward the door. "Or rather, they will be by tomorrow morning. Your husband is currently driving back to Albany, weeping crocodile tears for the local precinct, claiming his beloved wife wandered off during a romantic mountain drive and never returned."
I stared at him in horror. "He's already reporting it?"
"Of course. He's thorough," Adrien said, pausing with his hand on the brass doorknob. He looked back over his shoulder, his gray eyes piercing. "Which is why you are dead, Clare. To the world, to the state of New York, and most importantly, to Daniel Bennett, you froze to death tonight on Route 28."
The weight of his words hung in the air like lead.
May you like
"And if I want to live?" I asked.
"Then you stay dead until we rewrite the rules of the game," Adrien said, and stepped out into the hallway, closing the heavy oak door behind him.
