Chapter 4 - BLOOD ON THE PENTHOUSE FLOORThe alarms blared a rhythmic, blinding red strobe light across the luxury penthouse. Ghost stirred from his sleep, letting out a deep, thunderous growl that rattled the glass walls, but he was still too weak to stand.
Jared Kensington didn't panic. In the face of an armed breach, his face became as cold and unyielding as a tombstone.
"You picked the wrong penthouse, asshole," Jared said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
Brendan sneer twisted into an ugly snarl as he shoved the masked mercenary forward. "Shoot the boss, take the girl! I want her alive, but I don't care if she's bleeding!"
The mercenary raised his rifle, but before he could pull the trigger, Jared moved with blinding, unnatural speed. A silenced shot cracked through the air. The mercenary dropped his weapon, clutching his shoulder as he crashed hard onto the marble floor.
Brendan’s eyes went wide with sheer terror. He hadn't expected Jared Kensington to fight personally; he thought he was just a wealthy corporate ghost.
"Wait—listen, I don't want trouble with you, Mr. Kensington!" Brendan stammered, frantically trying to raise his own pistol. "I just want my property! She belongs to—"
"She belongs to no one," Jared interrupted.
He didn't shoot Brendan. Instead, Jared closed the distance across the room in three massive strides, grabbed Brendan by the collar of his jacket with one hand, and slammed him against the glass wall with enough force to crack the reinforced pane.
Brendan choked out a gasp, his pistol clattering uselessly to the floor.
"Please... don't..." Brendan choked out.
Jared looked down at him with utter disgust, his face inches from Brendan's terrified eyes. "You tracked a girl who saved a dog that means more to me than your entire pathetic existence. You broke into my home. And you threatened what is under my roof."
Willa stood frozen behind Jared, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had spent months hiding from that man, paralyzed by his shadow. And now, the most feared mafia boss in New York was casually crushing him like an insect.
"Jared," Willa said softly, stepping forward. "Don't. Don't dirty your hands with him."
Jared glanced back at her. The fury in his eyes softened just a fraction as they met hers. He gave a sharp nod, then turned back to Brendan.
"You're lucky she has a kind heart," Jared whispered.
With a brutal flick of his wrist, Jared threw Brendan across the room toward the ruined elevator shaft. Brendan scrambled to his feet, bleeding from a cut on his forehead, and bolted into the emergency stairwell, screaming in terror as two of Jared’s personal guards emerged from the shadows to pursue him.
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The penthouse fell silent, save for the pulsing red emergency lights.
Jared holstered his gun, turned around, and walked slowly back toward Willa.
