Chapter 20 - The Unseen Horizon
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Six months later, the Salvatore compound was fully restored, more beautiful and heavily fortified than ever before.
It was a bright, humid Tuesday morning. Clare was sitting on the terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay, sipping a cup of coffee while watching Gabriel teach a delighted Maya how to throw a baseball on the manicured lawn. Leo was asleep in a shaded stroller beside her.
Life was perfect. The syndicate was stable, the enemies were buried, and Gabriel was entirely, devotedly hers.
“You’re dropping your elbow, sweetheart. Keep it up,” Gabriel laughed, tossing the ball gently back to Maya.
Clare smiled, taking a slow sip of her coffee, basking in the peace she had fought so hard to secure.
The heavy glass doors of the terrace slid open.
Marcus, Gabriel’s head of security, stepped out. He wasn't smiling. His face was a mask of grim, terrifying professional tension. He carried a small, plain cardboard box in his gloved hands.
“Boss,” Marcus called out, his voice sharp enough to cut through the joyful atmosphere.
Gabriel stopped, catching the baseball. The playful father vanished instantly, replaced by the cold, calculating mafia don. He walked over to the terrace, his eyes locked onto the box.
“What is it, Marcus?” Gabriel asked quietly, wiping sweat from his brow.
“A courier dropped this at the outer gate five minutes ago,” Marcus reported, setting the box down on the glass patio table. “He didn't leave a name. The bomb squad cleared it. No explosives. But... you need to see what’s inside.”
Clare stood up, her heart beginning to pound a familiar, frantic rhythm against her ribs. She moved closer, standing protectively next to Leo’s stroller.
Gabriel pulled a pocket knife from his shorts and sliced the tape on the box. He lifted the cardboard flaps.
Inside the box rested a single, pure white orchid.
Pinned to the stem of the flower was a handwritten note on expensive, heavy cardstock.
Gabriel picked up the note, reading it in silence. All the color drained from his face, leaving him looking like a ghost.
“Gabriel?” Clare whispered, terrified by his reaction. “What does it say?”
Gabriel slowly handed her the note, his eyes staring out at the dark, deep water of the bay.
Clare looked down at the paper. Written in elegant, flowing script was a single sentence:
May you like
Did you really think Richard was the only one looking for her?
The war wasn't over. It had only just begun.
