Chapter 4 - Dinner with the BossNight fell over Lake Michigan, turning the dark water into a sheet of black glass.
Chloe had been given a set of borrowed clothes—soft cashmere trousers and an oversized silk blouse that swallowed her small frame—and a guest suite overlooking the gardens. But she hadn’t slept.
At 8:00 PM sharp, a soft knock sounded at her door.
One of Gabriel’s guards stood in the hallway. "Mr. Costa requests your presence for dinner in the formal dining room."
"Tell Mr. Costa I'm not hungry," Chloe replied, moving to shut the door.
The guard’s large hand caught the edge of the wood, polite but immovable. "He said you would probably say that. He also said to remind you that Brutus’s evening antibiotic dose is due in twenty minutes, and he’d prefer to discuss your permanent veterinary contract over osso buco."
Chloe glared at the guard, clenched her fists, and marched down the hallway.
The formal dining room was lit by a single massive crystal chandelier that cast long, dramatic shadows across a mahogany table large enough to seat twenty people. Gabriel sat alone at the far end, dressed in a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, looking more like an aristocratic predator than a mafia boss.
He didn't stand when she entered. He simply gestured to the chair directly across from him.
"Sit, Chloe."
"I'm not staying," she said, remaining standing. "I want to know what my options are. Can I leave the city? Can your men drive me to Rockford to see my mother?"
"Not yet," Gabriel said smoothly, cutting a piece of meat with absolute precision. "Rostova’s scouts are watching the transit lines out of Cook County. The moment you step outside these gates, you become a target. Staying here isn't a suggestion, Chloe. It's a tactical necessity."
"You dragged me into your war!" she shouted, slamming her hands down on the table.
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Gabriel looked up. His dark eyes locked onto hers with a terrifying, magnetic intensity. He set his fork down and stood up, slowly walking around the long table until he was standing just inches away from her.
"I didn't drag you into anything. Fate dropped you onto my path in a bloody rainstorm," Gabriel whispered, his voice dropping into a register that made the hairs on her arms stand up. "And now that you’ve patched up my dog and stood up to my enemies, do you really think I'm going to let you walk away?"
