Chapter 2 - The Coming Storm
The color drained from my face as Vanessa's malicious laughter echoed across the marble terrace.
I grabbed her arm, my grip tight enough to bruise, completely ignoring the flashing cameras of the local press.
"Where is the ledger, Vanessa?" I demanded, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
She simply smiled, yanking her arm away as my security team finally surrounded her.
"It's already in the hands of a courier heading straight to the Romero family," she sneered.
I watched my men drag her kicking and screaming down the driveway, but the victory tasted like ash in my mouth.
The black ledger contained the names, accounts, and safe houses of every person loyal to my organization.
If the Romeros had it, my entire empire was about to be burned to the ground.
I turned abruptly and sprinted into the mansion, my muddy boots ruining the expensive Persian rugs.
I found Grace in the grand library, sitting on the leather sofa with both of my children tucked securely against her sides.
Caleb was still clutching his stitched-up rabbit, but his tears had finally stopped.
Sophie looked up at me, her big brown eyes searching my face for reassurance.
"Daddy, are you really home?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly.
I dropped to my knees in front of them, pulling off the remaining sticky residue of the fake beard.
"I am home, sweetheart, and I am never leaving you alone again," I promised, pulling them both into a tight embrace.
I looked over their heads at Grace, noting the severe swelling on her left cheek where Vanessa had struck her.
"Thank you for protecting them, Grace," I said sincerely.
She met my gaze with a steely intensity that felt entirely out of place for a simple housekeeper.
"I didn't come here to clean your floors, Mr. Whitaker," she replied smoothly.
May you like
She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a heavy, silenced pistol, setting it gently on the coffee table.
"Your late wife was my sister, and she warned me that this day would come."
