Chapter 3 - The Lockdown
Claire took another desperate step backward, her hand tightly gripping the handle of her black rolling suitcase. She looked wildly toward the TSA security checkpoint, calculating if she could sprint through the crowd before he caught her.
Vincent saw her eyes darting. He knew exactly what she was thinking.
He didn't raise his voice, but the cinematic, lethal authority in his tone was undeniable.
"Don't run, Claire," Vincent commanded softly, his dark eyes pleading. "If you run, my men will tackle you before you reach the escalators. I don't want to scare her."
Claire stopped breathing. She looked over Vincent’s shoulder. Stepping out of the shadows of the busy terminal were six massive, heavily armed syndicate bodyguards in dark suits. They had already formed a perimeter around them. The airport security guards were actively looking the other way, paid off by the syndicate.
"Please, Vincent," Claire whispered, tears of pure terror welling in her eyes. "Let us go to our gate. I swear to God, we will never return to Chicago. You never have to see us again."
Vincent’s chest heaved. The agony in her voice physically hurt him. Why was she looking at him like he was going to execute them right here in the terminal?
"You aren't getting on a commercial flight," Vincent replied, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "You are coming with me to the private hangar. We are going to talk."
"I have nothing to say to you!" Claire cried, keeping Lily securely hidden behind her coat.
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"But I have a lot to say to you," Vincent stated coldly, gesturing for his guards to close in. "Starting with why you hid my daughter from me for five years."
👉 What dark secret forced Claire to run away from her billionaire husband?
