Chapter 4 - The Safe House
The betrayal burned like hot acid in Victor's chest.
He drove aggressively through the maze of slick downtown streets to lose any potential tails.
He finally pulled into the underground parking garage of a luxurious, forgotten high-rise.
The penthouse above belonged to a shell corporation completely untraceable to his name.
Victor escorted Sadi up the private elevator in total, suffocating silence.
He unlocked the double doors and led her into the pristine, modern living space.
The massive floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the stormy city skyline.
Victor immediately retrieved a fully stocked medical kit from the master bathroom.
He ordered Sadi to sit on the expensive white leather sofa.
She hesitated for a moment before slowly sinking into the soft cushions.
Victor knelt in front of her and began cleaning the dried blood from her beautiful face.
His touch was surprisingly gentle for a man who ruled the violent underworld.
Sadi winced as the antiseptic stung her split lip.
Victor apologized softly, his dark eyes filled with genuine, uncharacteristic regret.
He carefully applied butterfly bandages to the deepest cuts on her cheek.
The proximity between them sent an unexpected jolt of electricity through Sadi's exhausted body.
She looked deeply into his intense, calculating eyes and saw the vulnerable man hiding underneath.
Victor felt his breath catch as she stared at him with such raw honesty.
He realized he would gladly burn this entire city to the ground to keep her safe.
He cleared his throat and asked her where the biometric vault was hidden.
Sadi explained that the vault was buried beneath the floorboards of her art studio.
She admitted they needed to retrieve it tonight before Paul tortured the location out of her landlord.
Victor agreed and began loading a fresh magazine into his pistol.
Suddenly, the massive television screen in the living room flickered to life on its own.
Paul's smiling face appeared on the digital broadcast.
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Paul casually announced that he had placed a five-million-dollar bounty on both of their heads.
He also revealed that every corrupt cop in the city was already surrounding the high-rise building.
