Chapter 4 - The Safehouse
They drove for four hours, winding deep into the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The armored SUV pulled up to a massive, brutalist concrete compound hidden entirely by pine trees. It was one of Dominic's off-the-grid properties, a fortress built for doomsday scenarios.
Once inside the heavily secured living room, Clara finally put Leo down. The little boy immediately ran to a massive wall of windows overlooking a snow-capped peak.
Dominic watched him, his heart in his throat. "He’s beautiful, Clara. He looks just like..."
"Like you," Clara finished softly, crossing her arms over her chest. The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind the crushing weight of their shattered past. "Dominic, I’m so sorry. I should have confronted you. I should have asked."
Dominic stepped closer, his hand reaching out but hovering just inches from her face, afraid to touch her. "You saw what Julian wanted you to see. My brother used your cousin to destroy our family for money. You protected our son. You did exactly what a mother should do."
Tears welled in Clara’s eyes. She had spent four years hating this man, only to realize he was a victim, too.
"We can't just hide here," Clara said, wiping her face. "Julian has limitless resources. He will find us eventually."
"I know," Dominic said, his eyes turning cold and calculating. "We aren't going to hide. We’re going to hunt."
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"How?"
"Vanessa," Dominic said. "Julian wouldn't have left a loose end. If Vanessa helped him stage the affair, she knows where the bodies are buried. We find your cousin, we break her, and we use her to take down my brother."
