Chapter 6 - A Debt That Cannot Be PaidGabriel stopped writing. For a fraction of a second, genuine surprise flickered across his guarded expression. In his world, everyone had a price. Politicians, judges, rival bosses—they all folded when faced with enough zeroes.
Yet here stood a tired, plus-size woman in a faded bathrobe, refusing a fortune without blinking an eye.
A slow, humorless smile touched the corner of Gabriel’s mouth. "Pride is a luxury, Ms. Brooks. And in New York, it's an expensive one."
"It's all I have left," Emma retorted, stepping away from the counter. "You can keep your money. Just leave us alone. I did what any human being would do. Now please, go."
Gabriel closed the checkbook with a quiet snap. He didn't move toward the door. Instead, he walked slowly toward the living room window, looking out over the quiet, rain-drenched street below.
"You think this is over because you walked away from the hospital?" Gabriel asked, his back to her. "That truck crash wasn't an accident, Emma."
Emma froze. "What?"
"Vincent was a professional," Gabriel said, turning back to face her, his eyes darkening into pools of absolute ice. "The truck that hit them had its brakes tampered with. Someone wanted my family destroyed. And the moment word leaks out that a mysterious woman saved my daughter—and that you share a rare blood type with her—you become a target."
The blood drained from Emma’s face. "A target?"
"My enemies are ruthless," Gabriel said quietly. "If they realize what you mean to me, they will come looking for you to get to her. You are no longer safe in this city, Emma. Not in this apartment, and certainly not at that packaging plant."
Before Emma could process the terrifying weight of his words, a sharp, deafening sound shattered the quiet night.
May you like
CRACK.
A bullet ripped through the apartment window, embedding itself deep into the wooden cabinets inches from Emma’s head.
