Chapter 1 - The Stranger
"You're not sorry," Dorian said softly.
Claire lifted an eyebrow and stared across the counter.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"You are not sorry they locked us out," Dorian clarified.
"You are just polite."
Claire wiped her trembling hands on her faded apron.
"I am broke, Mr. Ferrante," she replied.
"Broke people do not have the luxury of being afraid of wet strangers."
Dorian studied her face for a long, agonizing moment.
He noticed the deep exhaustion hiding behind her defiant brown eyes.
"Most people run when they see my men," Dorian stated.
"Your men are currently washing my soup bowls," Claire countered.
"I think I can handle them."
A low, violent rumble of thunder shook the cafe windows.
Dorian leaned forward slightly, resting his scarred hands on the table.
"Why is there a purchase notice on your wall?" he asked.
Claire felt her defensive walls shoot up instantly.
"That is none of your business," she snapped.
"You fed my men," Dorian said calmly.
"That makes your problems my business."
Claire shook her head and looked away.
"It is just a corporate buyout," she explained quietly.
"A real estate firm called Apex Holdings wants the land."
"If I don't sell in twenty-one days, they will bury me in zoning lawsuits until I go bankrupt."
Dorian's gray eyes turned instantly cold.
Apex Holdings was not a legitimate real estate firm.
It was a notorious front company for the Moretti crime syndicate.
Dorian opened his mouth to warn her about the lethal danger she was in.
Suddenly, the deafening screech of heavy tires echoed over the howling wind outside.
Three armored black vans aggressively jumped the curb and smashed into Dorian's disabled SUVs.
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The glass of the cafe's front window abruptly shattered into a thousand deadly pieces.
A barrage of automatic gunfire tore through the dark, rain-soaked street.
