Chapter 6 - THE SAFE HOUSE IN THE WOODS
The safe house was a stone cabin hidden deep within the dense pine forests north of Wisconsin.
Rain lashed relentlessly against the reinforced glass windows.
Inside, the cabin was warm, lit only by a stone fireplace and a few battery-powered lanterns.
Lily had finally fallen back asleep on a plaid sofa, wrapped in Gabriel's heavy wool jacket.
I sat at the wooden kitchen island, cleaning a deep scratch on Gabriel's forearm with an antiseptic wipe.
He winced slightly but didn't pull away.
“You should have let me patch myself up,” I murmured.
“You've spent nine months cleaning up after other people, Rachel,” Gabriel replied softly, his dark eyes fixed on my face. “It's time someone took care of you.”
I paused, my fingers resting on his wrist.
“Why did Donato wait three years to make his move?” I asked quietly. “If he killed Daniel and stole the money back then, why strike tonight?”
Gabriel stared into the dancing flames of the fireplace.
“Because of the federal grand jury investigating our shipping ports,” he explained. “Mark Vance was supposed to launder the remaining syndicate funds through offshore accounts before the subpoena hit next week. When I brought you into the house tonight, Donato realized you had the original ledger in that brown envelope.”
“And the ledger implicates him?”
“It names him as the sole beneficiary of the stolen four million,” Gabriel said, his jaw tightening. “If the FBI gets that document, Donato spends the rest of his life behind bars. And the Moretti empire collapses.”
“So he tried to kill everyone in the mansion to get it back.”
“Including me,” Gabriel added grimly. “He thought my death would leave the family leadership vacant, allowing him to seize total control.”
I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself.
“What do we do now, Gabriel?”
He stood up, walking over to the window to peer out into the dark, rain-soaked woods.
“We strike back,” he said simply. “We use the ledger to turn Donato's capos against him. By sunrise tomorrow, we're going to dismantle his entire operation from the inside out.”
I looked at him, seeing the hardened mafia boss he truly was—ruthless, calculating, yet fiercely protective.
And terrifyingly attractive.
“Are you afraid, Rachel?” he asked, turning back to face me.
“I was,” I whispered, stepping closer to him. “But not anymore.”
Gabriel reached out, his calloused fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair from my cheek.
His touch sent a sudden electric shiver down my spine.
Before either of us could speak, the satellite phone on the kitchen counter buzzed violently.
Gabriel answered on the first ring, listening in absolute silence.
His face went completely pale.
“I understand,” he said coldly, and hung up.
May you like
“What is it?” I asked, my breath catching.
“Donato didn't just send a hit squad to the mansion,” Gabriel said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “He found out where my sister and her children live in the suburbs.”
