Chapter 11 - The Blackmail
I stared at the glowing screen of my phone, the blood in my veins turning to absolute ice.
The horrific memory I had spent two agonizing years trying to bury violently resurrected itself in the dark bedroom.
I was nineteen years old, absolutely terrified, and sitting behind the steering wheel of a stolen sedan.
My father’s ruthless creditors had threatened to brutally murder my little brother Leo if I did not drive the getaway car for a specialized hit.
I had absolutely no idea who the target was until the following morning when the news reported that Owen Hartley had been run off a mountain road.
I dropped the phone onto the thick duvet, my hands trembling so violently I could barely draw a breath.
I looked over at Owen, who was sleeping peacefully beside me, his broad, scarred chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.
He had completely dismantled his own sister and his entire syndicate to protect me, believing I was nothing but an innocent victim.
If he discovered that I was the initial catalyst for his two-year comatose nightmare, his absolute love would instantly turn into a lethal, unforgiving wrath.
My phone vibrated a second time against the mattress, the harsh buzz sounding like a death knell in the silent room.
I snatched it up, reading the follow-up message with a sickening twist in my stomach.
"I want the master encrypted ledger Owen keeps in the biometric safe behind his desk. Bring it to the abandoned church on 4th Street tomorrow at midnight, or I send him the police files proving you were behind the wheel."
I knew exactly who the blackmailer was without needing a signature.
It was Victor Russo, the last surviving lieutenant of the rival syndicate my father had been heavily indebted to.
He had somehow slipped through Owen's massive purge of the criminal underworld.
I slowly slipped out from beneath the warm covers, the freezing air of the mountain estate biting at my bare skin.
I could not simply run away, and I absolutely could not let Russo destroy the fragile, beautiful peace I had finally found.
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I walked to the large bay window, looking out over the dark, quiet forest surrounding our sanctuary.
I had to steal from the most dangerous man in New York City to protect him from the agonizing truth of my past.
