Chapter 19 - The Departure
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The silence in the safe house was absolute, broken only by the distant, wailing sirens of police cars navigating the streets of Queens below.
Adrian sat on the edge of the cot, clutching his bleeding shoulder, staring at Sophia as if he were looking at a stranger. He had spent four years believing she was a soft, civilian safe haven—a woman he could control, protect, and manipulate to fit his double life.
He had deeply, fatally underestimated her.
“If you walk out that door with that drive,” Adrian warned, his voice a low, gravelly threat, “you are declaring war on me, Sophia.”
“No, Adrian,” Sophia replied, slipping her arms into the heavy tactical jacket Marcus had given her earlier. “I am negotiating a peace treaty. The exact same kind of treaty you tried to build with Valentina. Mutually assured destruction.”
She turned to Marcus, who was standing quietly by the door, observing the masterclass in leverage.
“Are you coming, Marcus?” Sophia asked. “Valentina thinks you’re with me. If you stay with Adrian, the Russos will put a bounty on your head, too.”
Marcus looked at Adrian, his boss of ten years. He saw a man consumed by ego, a man whose lies had nearly gotten them all killed. Then he looked at Sophia, a woman holding the keys to the kingdom, who only wanted to walk away in peace.
Marcus nodded slowly. He picked up his tactical rifle and slung it over his shoulder.
“I’ll drive you to the airstrip,” Marcus rumbled, stepping away from the door to let her pass.
“Marcus!” Adrian roared, struggling to stand up, his face twisted in betrayal and rage. “If you leave, you’re a dead man! You’re both dead!”
Sophia paused at the threshold. She didn't look back at him. She didn't need to see his face to know it was contorted with the realization of his absolute loss.
“Goodbye, Adrian,” Sophia said softly into the quiet room. “Try not to bleed out before the war starts.”
She stepped out into the hallway, Marcus following closely behind her. The heavy steel door clicked shut, severing her completely from the life of the Mafia King.
They took the freight elevator down to the garage in silence. When they got into the SUV, Marcus finally spoke.
May you like
“Where to, Miss Bennett?”
“JFK,” Sophia replied, leaning her head against the cold glass of the passenger window. “I have a sudden urge to see Europe.”
