Chapter 9 - The Final Reckoning
The sun was just beginning to peek over the Manhattan skyline when Dante knocked softly on the bedroom door and stepped inside.
“Boss,” Dante reported, keeping his eyes respectfully lowered. “The perimeter is secure. The cleanup crew finished the patio doors, and our friends from the Albanian cell have been... permanently relocated outside city limits.”
Ryker nodded, pulling a clean black shirt over his freshly stitched torso. “And the politicians tied to their funding?”
“All their offshore accounts have been frozen and transferred to the community trust fund by our legal team,” Dante said with a faint smirk. “Commissioner Sterling is currently crying in a federal holding cell.”
Kira sat on the edge of the bed, watching the smooth, terrifying efficiency with which Ryker’s empire operated. In less than forty-eight hours, an assassination attempt had been completely neutralized, an entire rival syndicate dismantled, and a corrupt financial network dismantled down to the studs.
“You really don't do things by halves, do you?” Kira asked, shaking her head.
“In my line of work, half-measures are how you get buried,” Ryker said, walking over to her and extending a hand to help her up.
“What happens now, Ryker?” Kira asked, taking his hand. “Do I go back to the ER and pretend I’m just an ordinary night-shift nurse?”
Ryker smiled—a real, genuine smile that reached his dark eyes and chased away the shadows of the night.
“You can work wherever you want, Kira,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You can save lives at Saint Jude’s until you’re ninety. But you’re never walking through this city alone again. You have the full protection of the Cross syndicate behind you—whether you want it or not.”
May you like
Kira laughed, resting her head against his chest, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart.
“Well,” she whispered. “It’s certainly going to make my shift a lot quieter.”
