Chapter 4 - THE DESERTED FORTRESS|
By 3:30 AM, the rain outside had turned into a torrential downpour.
I zipped my second suitcase closed, standing in the middle of the grand master bedroom. My chest hurt, but my mind was completely clear.
Adrian stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a glass of untouched bourbon, his back turned to me. The tension in the room was thick enough to suffocate a man.
"I paid off the lease on my old apartment in Soho three months ago," I said, slipping my coat on. "I still have the keys."
"You think you're safe in Soho?" Adrian asked, his voice disturbingly low. "If Moretti is moving on the Coles, anyone connected to me is a target."
"Nobody knows I live here, Adrian," I replied. "You made sure my name was kept off every record, remember? You wanted to 'protect' me."
He turned around slowly. His gray eyes were bloodshot, his face a mask of cold, suppressed fury.
"If you walk through that door, Elena, I will put four armed guards outside your apartment building," he warned.
"If I see a single one of your men near my street, I will call the police," I countered smoothly. "I am not one of your lieutenants. You don't manage me."
I grabbed the handles of my bags and walked toward the bedroom door.
Adrian didn't move to stop me physically. He knew if he laid a hand on me to force me to stay, whatever was left between us would be permanently destroyed.
"She will be gone by noon," Adrian called out as I reached the hallway. "I will throw her out myself."
I stopped at the top of the stairs, looking back over my shoulder.
"It's too late, Adrian," I said softly. "The problem isn't that she's here. The problem is that you let her in."
I walked down the marble staircase, past Marcus Reed, who looked at me with deep regret in his eyes.
"Miss Elena..." Marcus began quietly.
"Open the front gate, Marcus," I commanded softly.
May you like
Marcus looked at Adrian standing at the top of the landing. Adrian slowly closed his eyes and gave a single, painful nod.
The heavy iron gates clicked open, and I stepped out into the dark rain.
