Chapter 7 - The Awakening
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The penthouse was quiet save for the low hum of the television. Lily wrapped her hands tighter around her coffee mug, staring at the man sitting across from her.
"Are they dead?" Lily asked, the words tumbling out before she could stop them.
Gabriel set his coffee down. He didn't flinch at the question. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the cold marble of the kitchen island.
"They are currently residing in a highly secure, soundproof facility outside the city limits," Gabriel said calmly. "They are being interrogated. Once my men extract everything they know about Caldwell's operations, their fates will be decided. But they will never walk the streets of Chicago again."
Lily shuddered. It was terrifying, yet a dark, twisted part of her felt a profound sense of justice. Marcus had sold her for ten thousand dollars. The security chief had likely covered up dozens of assaults just like hers.
"Are you hungry?" Gabriel asked, seamlessly shifting the conversation from mafia kidnappings to domestic hospitality.
"A little," she admitted.
Gabriel stood up, walked around the island, and began pulling ingredients from a massive stainless-steel refrigerator. He cracked eggs into a bowl, whisking them with practiced, efficient movements.
"You cook?" Lily asked, genuinely surprised.
"I find it therapeutic," Gabriel replied, pouring the eggs into a hot skillet. "When my father ran the Syndicate, he rarely came home. My mother drank. I learned to feed myself early."
It was a small, vulnerable confession that completely caught Lily off guard. The fearsome mob boss making her scrambled eggs in a multi-million dollar penthouse felt like a bizarre fever dream.
He slid a plate of food in front of her, complete with buttered toast.
"Eat," he commanded softly. "You need your strength. The next few days are going to be chaotic."
As Lily picked up her fork, her eyes met his. "Why are you doing this for me, Gabriel? You could have just walked past that closet door."
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Gabriel leaned against the counter, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch.
"Because ten years ago, my younger sister was trapped in a room with a man exactly like Ryan Caldwell," Gabriel said, his voice dropping to a gravelly, haunted whisper. "No one opened the door for her. I promised myself I would never let a monster walk away breathing again."
