Chapter 12
The heavy oak doors of Adrian’s private study shut with a hollow, echoing thud, sealing the room. The study, lined with dark mahogany bookshelves and heavy velvet drapes overlooking the Long Island Sound, felt suffocatingly tense. Adrian stood behind his massive mahogany desk, his tailored suit jacket discarded, revealing the dark tattoos along his collarbone.
Marcus set the wooden box on the desk and stepped back, his hand resting instinctively near his concealed weapon. Adrian reached out and flipped the brass latch. Inside rested a single, chilling object: a rusted, shattered pocket watch.
Adrian’s breath hitched. He recognized the watch instantly. It was the timepiece James had been wearing on the night he was killed seven years ago.
"Who delivered this?" Adrian demanded, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that vibrated through the floorboards.
"We pulled the traffic cameras from the highway," Marcus replied grimly. "An unmarked sedan. The plates trace back to a shell corporation in Chicago. Boss, the Chicago Commission hasn't moved on the Eastern Seaboard in decades. Why now?"
"Because Leo Moretti was a fool who wanted shipping routes," Adrian whispered coldly, picking up the shattered watch. "But whoever sent this isn't looking for territory. They are looking for revenge. They know about James."
Emma pushed open the study doors, ignoring the unwritten rule that the boss's sanctuary was off-limits during security briefings. Her blue eyes immediately darted to the object in Adrian's hand. The rosy color drained entirely from her cheeks.
"Is that...?" Emma’s voice cracked with raw emotion.
"It’s James's," Adrian confirmed, refusing to lie to her. He stepped around the desk, his long, deliberate strides closing the distance between them. "Emma, someone from Chicago has signaled that the truce is over. They know about Nora."
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Emma didn't cower. The terrified woman who had once clutched her white apron in pure terror was gone. She stood her ground, fueled by a mother’s desperate, unyielding instinct. "You promised me, Adrian. You told me nobody was going to lose anything ever again."
"And I meant it," Adrian vowed, his dark eyes burning with an absolute, lethal promise. "Marcus, lock down the estate. Double the perimeter patrols. Move Nora's tutors to the secure wing. If Chicago wants a war, I will burn their city to the ground before they touch my niece."
