Chapter 7
The morning sun did little to warm the chilling reality Adrian had laid bare the night before. Emma stood in the massive, marble-tiled bathroom of the East Wing, splashing cold water onto her fair skin. She looked at her reflection, her brown-blonde hair falling loosely around her face, trying to process the magnitude of the danger they were in. If someone inside Adrian’s inner circle had betrayed James, that same person was currently walking the halls of this very estate.
Downstairs in the war room, Adrian was not dealing with ghosts; he was dealing with the present. The room was soundproofed, stripped of luxury, and dominated by a large tactical table.
Adrian stood at the head, his hands planted firmly on the table. Across from him stood Silas, his loyal underboss, looking grave.
"The Moretti family is getting bold, Boss," Silas reported, sliding a folder across the table. "They’ve been probing the southern shipments. But that’s not the worst part. Word is leaking out of Connecticut. Someone tipped them off that you moved a woman and a child into the private wing."
Adrian’s eyes darkened, a lethal fire igniting within them. "Who spoke?"
"We don't know," Silas admitted, shifting uncomfortably. "But the streets are talking. They think the girl is yours. They think you've gone soft, playing house while the territory is vulnerable."
"Let them think what they want," Adrian growled, straightening up, his imposing height intimidating even to his top men. "If a single Moretti foot steps onto my land, I want them buried beneath it."
"Adrian," Silas said carefully, lowering his voice. "If the girl is James’s... she’s a liability. You know the rules. Blood is leverage."
Adrian crossed the room in two massive strides, grabbing Silas by the lapels of his suit and slamming him against the soundproof wall. Silas didn't fight back, but he grunted at the impact.
"She is a Cole," Adrian snarled, his face inches from Silas’s, his light stubble scraping against his own collar. "She is not a liability. She is family. You will protect her with your life, or I will take yours. Are we clear?"
"Crystal, Boss," Silas choked out.
Adrian released him, stepping back and smoothing his black dress shirt. "Find out who leaked the information. Tear the staff apart if you have to."
Upstairs, Emma had dressed Nora in a bright yellow sweater and white leggings. Nora was playing with her toy purse on the plush rug, completely oblivious to the violence brewing around them.
Emma sat on the edge of the bed, her mind racing back to the night before James died. Adrian’s words echoed in her head: Whoever he told, put a bullet in his back.
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to remember. James had been nervous that night. He had been pacing their small apartment, running his hands through his hair. He had made a phone call.
Emma’s eyes snapped open. The memory hit her with the force of a physical blow.
She stood up, her heart hammering. "Nora, stay here. Do not leave this room."
Emma ran out into the hallway, her bare feet silent on the expensive carpets. she raced down the grand staircase, nearly colliding with a pair of armed guards. She ignored them, pushing open the heavy doors to the study, but it was empty. She turned and ran toward the war room.
She burst through the doors, her chest heaving. Adrian and Silas both turned, their hands instinctively dropping to their holstered weapons.
"Emma, what the hell are you doing down here?" Adrian demanded, his voice sharp.
"I remember," Emma panted, pointing a trembling finger at Adrian. "I remember the phone call James made the night before he died."
Adrian’s expression shifted instantly from anger to intense focus. He stepped forward. "Who did he call, Emma?"
May you like
"He didn't say a name," she said, her voice shaking as she looked between Adrian and Silas. "But he said... he said, 'I need a way out, Uncle. I'm leaving the life.'"
The blood drained from Adrian’s face. The room fell into a deathly, suffocating silence.
