Chapter 10 - Dawn Over ProvidenceThe explosion that rocked Ashcroft Street shook the foundations of Providence from the harbor to the hills.
It wasn't a bomb. It was the synchronized rupture of the main natural gas lines running beneath the abandoned rail terminal—lines that Nora had spent two years mapping out with her fingertips, and that Julian had severed with a single, calculated shot from his Sig Sauer into the master regulator valve.
When the smoke cleared, the old Blackwood rail terminal stood as a hollow, blackened monument to the end of an era. Vince Moretti and his empire were buried beneath tons of concrete, steel, and ash, swept away by the very underworld they had tried to rule.
Three days later, the sun rose over the Providence harbor, painting the sky in brilliant shades of gold, amber, and crimson.
On the wrap-around balcony of a private penthouse overlooking the water, a man and a woman stood side by side.
Julian Voss wore a clean white shirt, the bandage on his shoulder hidden beneath tailored cloth. Beside him stood Nora Ashford, dressed in a soft, cream-colored cashmere coat that cost more than most houses on Ashcroft Street. Her dark glasses were gone, replaced by nothing—she no longer needed to hide behind them, because in this house, in this life, she didn't need to hide from anything.
At their feet, a massive Neapolitan mastiff named Ghost gnawed lazily on an expensive leather chew toy, completely at peace.
Julian turned his head, looking down at the woman who had given him everything he was. Her amber eyes caught the morning light, reflecting the brilliant sunrise over the harbor.
"What are you looking at, Julian?" Nora asked softly, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
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"Everything you gave me," Julian answered, taking her hand in his and pressing his palm against her knuckles. "And for the first time in ten years... I finally know what I'm looking at."
Nora tilted her head toward the sun, letting the warmth wash over her face, and for the first time in a decade, she smiled back.
