Chapter 5 - The Westchester Fortress
The Maybach pulled through massive iron gates guarded by armed men with Belgian Malinois dogs, winding up a long, dark driveway surrounded by dense pine trees.
At the end of the road stood Dominic’s mansion—a breathtaking, high-tech fortress of modern glass, dark stone, and concrete overlooking the Hudson River.
"Welcome to my humble home," Dominic said as the car came to a stop.
We stepped out into the dry, covered garage where four security guards immediately fell into formation around us. Dominic led us into a grand, double-height living room featuring floor-to-ceiling bulletproof glass windows, a roaring stone fireplace, and state-of-the-art security monitors humming along the walls.
"Get her anything she wants," Dominic commanded a head house servant named Marcus. "Comfortable clothes, hot food, and setup the secure terminal in my study."
"Yes, Mr. Pierce," Marcus bowed quickly.
Natalia walked over to the glass windows, staring out at the rain-swept river. "Voronin knows we were at Le Rêve tonight. His men will already be looking for the Maybachs."
"Let them look," Dominic sneered, taking off his wet suit jacket and tossing it onto a leather couch. He unbuttoned his top two shirt buttons, revealing the strong, tattooed line of his collarbone. "This estate has twenty-four-hour perimeter defense. A battalion couldn't breach these grounds."
He turned to look at me. I was still wearing my black server's pants and white button-down shirt, my dark hair slightly damp from the rain.
"You look exhausted, Elena," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Go wash up. Marcus put fresh clothes in the guest wing. We begin the account decryption at midnight."
I nodded slowly. "Thank you, Dominic."
As I walked down the long, carpeted hallway toward the guest suite, I heard Victor speaking to Dominic in low tones near the fireplace.
"You're looking at her differently, Dominic," Victor remarked. "An hour ago, you called her a peasant."
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"An hour ago, I didn't know she was the smartest, most dangerous woman in this city," Dominic replied softly. "And I certainly didn't know she had eyes that could burn a man to ground."
I paused in the shadows, my heart doing an unexpected, treacherous flutter against my ribs before I forced myself to keep walking.
