Chapter 5 - The Ambush
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The ride back to my apartment was quiet. Silas drove smoothly through the dark streets, the snow finally beginning to fall in thick, heavy flakes against the windshield. I leaned my head against the cool glass, my mind racing.
Dante had not touched me. He had not made any inappropriate advances. He had simply talked to me with a level of respect and genuine interest that I hadn't experienced in years.
As the SUV pulled onto my street, Silas suddenly hit the brakes.
“Stay in the car, Miss Emma,” Silas growled, his hand instantly diving inside his suit jacket.
I looked out the window. Sitting on the concrete stoop of my apartment building was Marcus. He was shivering in a thin jacket, an empty beer bottle dangling from his hand. When he saw the armored SUV pull up, he stood up, his face twisted in an ugly, drunken snarl.
“Emma!” Marcus shouted, stumbling toward the vehicle. “You think you’re better than me now? You think you can just ignore my calls?”
Before I could lock the door, Silas was out of the SUV. The massive driver moved with terrifying, lethal speed. He intercepted Marcus halfway across the sidewalk.
Marcus tried to shove past him. “Get out of my way, you giant freak! That’s my wife!”
Silas didn't speak. He grabbed Marcus by the throat with one massive hand, lifting him entirely off his feet. Marcus choked, dropping his beer bottle. It shattered on the frozen concrete.
I gasped, rolling the window down a crack. “Silas, stop! You’ll kill him!”
Silas ignored me. He slammed Marcus back against the brick wall of the apartment building. With his free hand, Silas pulled a heavy, suppressed pistol from his holster and pressed the barrel directly between Marcus’s eyes.
“You are breathing borrowed air,” Silas whispered, his voice a demonic rumble. “If you ever come within a mile of this woman again, I will scatter your pieces across Lake Michigan.”
Silas dropped him. Marcus collapsed into the snow, gasping for air, clutching his throat in absolute terror. He didn't look at me. He scrambled backward like a frightened animal and sprinted down the dark street.
Silas calmly holstered his weapon, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.
“Boss,” Silas said into the receiver. “There was a complication at the apartment. It’s not safe for her here.”
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Silas listened for a moment, nodded, and hung up. He got back into the SUV and locked the doors.
“We are not staying here, Miss Emma,” Silas said.
