Chapter 10 - The Drive Back
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Elena could not stop shaking. The adrenaline crash hit her like a physical blow, leaving her entirely helpless in Aleandro’s arms. He didn't ask her to walk. He scooped her up effortlessly, carrying her out of the freezing boiler room, up the steep stairs, and into the dark, rainy night.
Marco had already secured the perimeter and brought the SUV to the loading dock door.
Aleandro placed Elena gently into the back seat, immediately stripping off his heavy, dry tactical jacket and wrapping it tightly around her shivering shoulders. The jacket swallowed her completely, smelling of his expensive cologne and gunpowder.
He climbed into the back seat beside her, completely ignoring the front passenger seat. Marco threw the SUV into drive and tore away from the shipping yard, disappearing into the storm.
"Is Mia okay?" Elena whispered, her teeth chattering so violently she could barely form the words. "Did he hurt her?"
"Mia is perfectly safe," Aleandro promised, reaching out to gently brush a clump of damp hair away from her bruised cheek. "She is eating cookies in my study, guarded by men who would die before letting anyone touch her."
Elena let out a broken, shuddering breath, closing her eyes as tears of profound relief finally spilled over her lashes. She leaned sideways, entirely drained, her head resting against Aleandro’s broad shoulder.
Aleandro went perfectly still. He had not allowed another human being to casually touch him in over a decade. Yet, feeling the weight of the exhausted mother resting against him, he didn't pull away. He slowly, deliberately raised his arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer to his warmth.
"Why did he take you, Elena?" Aleandro asked softly into the dark cabin of the SUV.
"I was cleaning his office," she murmured, her voice weak. "I wasn't supposed to be there. I heard him talking on a burner phone. He was laughing. He said he diverted the pharmaceutical shipment to his own buyers, and that he was going to use the money to buy off the commission in New York."
Aleandro’s jaw clenched. Mutiny. Silvio was planning a full-scale coup, funded by the stolen cargo.
"He saw me," Elena continued, a tear slipping onto Aleandro’s shirt. "He knew I heard. He dragged me out of my room that night. He said if I told you, he would kill Mia. He locked me in that basement while he figured out how to make it look like an accident."
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"He will never hurt you again," Aleandro vowed, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that vibrated through his chest. "I am going to make him pay for every second you spent in the dark."
Elena didn't answer. She had finally surrendered to exhaustion, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep, anchored entirely by the protective embrace of the most dangerous man in the city.
