Chapter 1 - The Offer
I stared at the expensive business card resting on the cracked formica table.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"How do you know about my rent?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Dominic Salvatore did not blink.
"I know your landlord is a greedy man named Arthur Vance."
"I know your daughter, Lily, turns six next Tuesday."
"And I know she needs an inhaler that your current insurance does not cover."
The diner suddenly felt entirely devoid of oxygen.
"Are you stalking me?" I demanded, my hands shaking.
"I am protecting an investment," he replied smoothly.
"You saved my life, Emma."
"I do not leave loose ends, and I do not leave debts unpaid."
He slid a set of silver keys across the table.
"There is a secure apartment waiting for you and Lily in my building downtown."
"I will not be bought," I told him fiercely.
"It is not a purchase, it is a shield," Dominic said, standing up.
"The men who blew up my car three weeks ago are still looking for witnesses."
"If they find out you pulled me from that wreckage, they will kill you."
He turned and walked out the door before I could say another word.
My shift ended at two in the morning.
I walked the four blocks to my cheap apartment with a heavy feeling in my stomach.
The hallway lights were flickering as usual.
I reached my door and froze.
The deadbolt was entirely shattered.
May you like
The door hung open by a single broken hinge.
I pushed it open and screamed.
