Chapter 10 - The False Victory
They arrived at the penthouse completely undetected.
The luxurious high-rise apartment occupied the entire top floor of a glass tower overlooking the city skyline.
It was heavily fortified, entirely off the grid, and fiercely beautiful.
A private underground doctor was waiting for them in the master bedroom.
He immediately went to work stitching Roman's laceration and treating Tommy's gunshot wounds.
Nora locked herself in the massive marble bathroom.
She stripped off the blood-soaked waitress uniform and scrubbed the grime from her skin under scalding hot water.
She stared at herself in the fogged mirror.
She had survived the night.
The men hunting her were buried under concrete.
Her brother’s coup had failed.
She stepped out of the bathroom wearing an oversized cashmere sweater she found in the closet.
She walked softly into the master bedroom.
Roman was lying in the massive bed, his chest heavily bandaged.
He was awake, watching her with a soft, intensely tired expression.
"It is over, Nora," Roman whispered.
"My lieutenants are cleaning up the streets right now."
"Leo’s men are entirely wiped out."
Nora walked over and sat cautiously on the edge of the mattress.
A profound, overwhelming sense of relief finally washed over her entire body.
For the first time in three long years, she actually felt safe.
"You really came back for me," she murmured, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
Roman reached out and gently intertwined his fingers with hers.
"I will burn the entire world down before I let anyone take you from me," he promised fiercely.
She closed her eyes, finally letting the exhaustion pull her under.
She rested her head against the edge of the bed, feeling safe in his presence.
An hour later, Nora woke up feeling thirsty.
Roman was completely asleep, his breathing deep and even.
She slipped quietly out of the bedroom and walked down the long hallway toward the expansive kitchen.
She grabbed a crystal glass and filled it with cold water from the refrigerator.
As she turned around to head back, she noticed a faint light coming from Roman’s private study.
The door was cracked open just an inch.
She heard Tommy’s voice speaking in a hushed, secretive whisper.
She crept closer, pressing her ear against the heavy oak door.
Tommy was speaking fluent Russian into a satellite phone.
"The package is entirely secure, Victor," Tommy said, his voice completely devoid of its usual gruff loyalty.
"Roman is incapacitated, and the girl has absolutely no idea."
Nora’s blood turned to absolute ice in her veins.
Tommy was the mole.
He had orchestrated the entire night to lead Roman exactly into this trap.
Nora slowly backed away from the door, terrified to make a sound.
She bumped directly into a hard, solid chest.
She spun around, dropping the glass.
It shattered against the hardwood floor, sounding exactly like a car crash.
Tommy was standing right behind her, holding a suppressed pistol aimed directly at her heart.
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"I'm sorry, Nora," Tommy whispered with a cold, empty smile.
"But your brother pays significantly better than Roman ever did."
