Chapter 4 - The Motel Sanctuary
|
The motel room smelled of stale cigarette smoke and cheap industrial cleaner. It was a far cry from the luxury Dominic Crane was accustomed to, but to a man who had spent three weeks dying on a concrete floor, it was paradise.
Elena helped him inside, making sure the curtains were drawn tight before turning on the small bedside lamp.
Dominic sat heavily on the edge of the mattress, exhaling a long, shuddering breath.
"I need new clothes," he said, looking down at his blood-caked shirt. "And a laptop. Secure. No tracking software."
"I'll get them tomorrow," Elena promised. She looked at her watch. It was past nine. Noah would be asking for her. "I have to go. Mrs. Patterson will be wondering where I am."
Dominic looked up at her. The harsh, calculating businessman vanished for a fraction of a second.
"Elena."
She paused by the door.
"You didn't have to do this," he said quietly. "You could have walked away after the first day. You could have let me die."
"I told you," Elena replied, her hand resting on the cheap brass doorknob. "I don't walk away from people in the dark."
"I owe you my life," Dominic stated, his gray eyes locking onto hers with a profound, terrifying intensity. "I do not forget my debts. When this is over, you and your son will never want for anything again."
Elena shook her head slightly. "I didn't do it for money, Dominic."
"I know," he murmured. "That is exactly why you deserve it."
May you like
Elena drove home, her mind a chaotic whirlwind. She had just harbored a fugitive billionaire. She had officially crossed a line that could get her killed. But as she unlocked the door to Mrs. Patterson’s apartment and saw Noah sleeping peacefully on the sofa, she knew she had made the right choice.
She wasn't just a maid anymore. She was a player in a very dangerous game.
