Chapter 4 - The Wolf Steps In
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The man who replaced the scarred thug did not sit immediately. He stood beside the table like a looming storm front.
He was tall, with impossibly broad shoulders wrapped in a bespoke charcoal suit that looked less like clothing and more like armor. His dark hair was streaked prematurely with silver at the temples, and his eyes were exhausted, yet frighteningly sharp. A rust-colored smear of blood marked his left shirt cuff.
He did not look at Nora with lust. He looked at her with pure, cold calculation.
“Arthur Costa.”
The scarred man on the floor scrambled backward, clutching his throat in terror.
“I didn’t know you had a claim on her, Mr. Costa!”
“I don’t,” Arthur Costa’s voice was a low, gravelly baritone that seemed to vibrate through the floorboards. He glanced down. “But you’re ruining the view, Benny. Leave.”
Benny did not need a second warning. He scrambled to his feet and disappeared into the crowded room.
Nora knew Arthur Costa’s name. Everyone in the city did. He headed the Costa syndicate, a ruthless organization that controlled the entire northern supply line. He was also a widower. His wife had died three years earlier in a car bombing intended for him. Rumor claimed Arthur had tracked down and killed the men responsible with his bare hands.
Arthur finally sat across from Nora. He moved with a deep, bone-weary physical exhaustion. He signaled a passing waiter with two fingers.
“Bourbon. Neat.”
He turned his piercing gaze back to Nora.
“Your father is an idiot, Miss Hayes.”
“He’s a businessman,” Nora replied smoothly, refusing to look away. “And I am currently on clearance.”
Arthur’s lip twitched in the ghost of a smile.
“I hear you can’t have children. Is it true?”
May you like
“It is. Does that disappoint you, Mr. Costa?”
“On the contrary,” Arthur leaned forward, resting his massive hands on the table. “I don’t need an heir. I already have four. What I need, Miss Hayes, is a mother for them. And a wife who won’t try to replace them.”
