Chapter 9
The armored SUV glided silently through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan, the city lights bleeding across the tinted windows in streaks of red and gold. Inside the cabin, the only sound was the soft, rhythmic breathing of Sophia, who was now fully asleep in Maya’s arms. Maya held the little girl carefully, her hand gently stroking the soft brown curls. She could feel the heavy, oppressive gaze of Dante Russo resting on her from across the wide leather seat.
"You said she knows who was driving," Maya whispered, breaking the suffocating silence. She kept her eyes on Sophia, afraid to look directly into Dante's pale gray eyes. "Does that mean you know who took your wife?"
Dante shifted, the fabric of his perfectly tailored charcoal suit rustling in the quiet cabin. He poured himself a glass of amber liquid from a small, hidden decanter built into the armrest, but he didn't drink it. He just stared at the liquid, his face a mask of restrained fury.
"In my line of work, Maya, there are always enemies," Dante began, his deep voice smooth but laced with a lethal undertone. "Rivals trying to take my territory. Federal agents trying to build cases. I expect attacks from the outside. I prepare for them."
He looked up, his gaze locking onto Maya. "But Elena’s disappearance... it bypassed every layer of security I have. The cameras at the estate were looped. The guards on her detail were reassigned by someone using my personal authorization codes. Whoever took my wife didn't break in from the outside. They opened the door from the inside."
Maya felt a cold chill run down her spine that had nothing to do with the dampness of her clothes. She tightened her arms protectively around Sophia.
"You think one of your own people did this," Maya realized, her voice trembling.
"I know they did," Dante said coldly. "And worse, Sophia knows it too. That’s why she retreated into herself. That’s why she won't speak to me, or to any of my men. She saw a face she recognized pulling her mother out of that car."
"Then why did you bring me here?" Maya asked, panic rising in her chest again. "If someone in your family is a traitor, I’m walking into a warzone. I’m just a waitress, Mr. Russo. I can't protect her from professional killers."
"I don't need you to be a bodyguard, Maya," Dante replied, setting his untouched glass down. "I have men who will kill anyone who looks at this child wrong. I need you to be her anchor. Sophia chose you tonight. In a room full of people, she reached out for you. You are the only person in the world right now who isn't connected to my syndicate. You are the only person I can definitively prove isn't the traitor."
Maya looked down at the sleeping child. The profound weight of the situation crashed over her. Tony was right; she was a pawn on a chessboard. But looking at Sophia’s tear-stained cheeks, Maya knew she couldn't just walk away and leave the girl to navigate a den of wolves alone.
"If I do this," Maya said, finding a sudden, unexpected reserve of courage, "if I stay with her and try to help you figure this out, I have conditions."
Dante raised a dark eyebrow, clearly amused and impressed by her sudden defiance. "Name them."
"You don't intimidate me, and you don't intimidate her," Maya stated firmly. "When I am with Sophia, I am in charge of her well-being. No armed guards standing over her bed. No yelling. And when we find out who did this, and your wife is back... I walk away. Free and clear."
Dante stared at her for a long, silent moment. "You have my word," he finally said.
May you like
The SUV suddenly slowed, turning sharply. Maya looked out the window as massive, wrought-iron gates swung open in the rain, revealing a sprawling, fortress-like estate hidden in the shadows of the city.
"Welcome to your new home, Maya," Dante said softly.
