Chapter 2 - The Black SUV and the Iron Gates
The rain sheeted down across Manhattan, turning the asphalt into a mirror of neon streetlights as the convoy of black SUVs carved through the downpour. Hannah sat trapped in the backseat of the lead vehicle, flanked by Dominic Vale on her left and a car seat holding a now-sleeping Lily on her right. Grace and Emma dozed in the vehicle behind them, cradled by their nanny.
Hannah stared out the rain-streaked window, her mind racing through a dozen frantic escape plans, all of which ended with her getting caught by men who looked like they ate nails for breakfast.
"You're making a massive mistake," Hannah said without turning her head. "When I don't show up for my data-entry night shift, my roommate Chloe is going to call the cops."
"Chloe received a text ten minutes ago stating you caught the flu and are staying with family," Dominic murmured, tapping away calmly on a secure encrypted phone.
Hannah whipped her head around, her eyes flashing with fury. "You hacked my phone?!"
"I ensured your safety," Dominic corrected smoothly, locking his device and sliding it into his pocket. "And your privacy is secure. Nobody is coming after you. But until I figure out why my daughters—who haven't responded to blood relatives or world-class physicians—look at a broke twenty-six-year-old waitress like she hung the moon, you are staying under my roof."
"Your roof? You mean your prison!"
"Call it what you like." Dominic leaned back, the dim dashboard light casting sharp shadows across his formidable jaw. "You live in a cramped fourth-floor walk-up in Queens, you work three jobs, and your bank account currently holds forty-two dollars and sixteen cents. You carry the weight of a world that has been relentlessly unfair to you since your father died fourteen months ago. Am I wrong?"
Hannah flinched as if she had been physically struck. "How do you—"
"I know everything about everyone who enters my orbit, Miss Mercer. Especially someone who suddenly causes my mute children to speak." His gaze softened just a fraction, though his posture remained defensive. "I am not going to hurt you. I protect what is mine. And right now, whether you like it or not, you are tied to them."
The car turned sharply off the main highway, passing through a pair of towering wrought-iron gates guarded by armed sentries who saluted as the vehicle rolled past. They drove up a winding, tree-lined estate driveway in Westchester County, finally pulling up beneath a grand stone portico.
May you like
As the driver opened the door, the cold night air rushed in. Dominic stepped out first, shielding Lily from the drizzle, and turned to look down at Hannah.
"Welcome to your new home for the foreseeable future, Hannah," he said quietly. "Let's go inside where it's warm."
