Chapter 3 - The Offer and the Exit
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The flight landed in Miami just before dawn.
The baby, whose name Clare had learned was Leo, was fast asleep, his small face pressed peacefully against her chest. Clare gently adjusted her clothes, wrapping the infant in his cashmere blanket before handing him back to Gabriel.
Gabriel took his son with a careful, practiced gentleness that completely contradicted his dangerous exterior. He looked at Clare, his dark eyes calculating.
“My driver is waiting on the tarmac,” Gabriel said, adjusting his suit jacket. “I have a medical team at my estate, but clearly, Leo responds to you. I want to hire you. Name your price, Clare. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
Clare’s heart pounded. The offer was a lifeline. It was money, security, and a roof over her head. But she had seen men like Gabriel Salvatore before. Men with too much money and too much power. They were exactly the kind of men who turned women into prisoners. She had just spent five years escaping one; she wasn't about to walk blindly into the arms of another.
“I can't, Mr. Salvatore,” Clare said, standing up and grabbing her backpack. “I have my own daughter to take care of. I just wanted to help.”
Gabriel frowned, clearly unaccustomed to being told no.
“I don't take refusal well, Clare.”
“Then you'll have to learn,” she replied evenly, stepping out into the aisle.
She walked quickly back to the economy cabin, her heart in her throat. She scooped a groggy Maya into her arms, grabbing her duffel bag, and joined the stream of passengers exiting the plane.
She didn't look back. She needed to disappear.
Miami was hot and humid, the early morning air sticking to her skin as she carried Maya through the chaotic terminal. She found a taxi line and gave the driver her cousin's address in Little Havana.
May you like
As the yellow cab pulled away from the airport, Clare looked out the rear window. A sleek, black armored SUV was pulling out of a private gate. For a terrifying second, she thought she saw Gabriel Salvatore sitting in the back seat, watching her cab merge onto the highway.
She pulled Maya closer, shivering despite the Florida heat. She had her freedom. Now, she just had to survive the consequences of it.
