The first sentence Claire Bennett understood was the one ordering a man’s death. She was standing beside a twelve-seat walnut table with a bottle of twenty-eight-year-old Japanese

By 3:00 AM, the storm had reached its peak. Lightning flashed across the bay, illuminating the penthouse room in harsh, brilliant white strobes.

The elevator doors opened again, revealing Elias holding a trembling, terrified Douglas Crane by the collar of his silk shirt.

Crane looked utterly ruined. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his bow tie was torn, and his eyes were wide with blind panic.

“Please! Don't hurt me!” Crane whimpered as Elias threw him onto the rug in front of Gabriel’s desk. “I didn't do anything! I swear!”

Gabriel sat behind his desk, his face carved out of cold stone. “Hello, Douglas.”

Crane looked up, his eyes darting wildly until they landed on Claire, who was now wearing a warm grey wool sweater provided by the housekeeper.

“Claire?!” Crane gasped, trying to push himself up. “Claire, tell them! Tell them I’m a good guy! I was just protecting the restaurant!”

“Who did you call after we left, Douglas?” Claire asked, stepping forward, her voice colder than Crane had ever heard it before.

Crane swallowed hard, sweating profusely. “I... I didn't call anyone!”

Elias pulled a thick silver tablet from his pocket and laid it on Gabriel’s desk. “We pulled his cell phone records on the drive over. Three minutes after our car left the alley, he dialed an unlisted international number based in Osaka.”

Gabriel didn't rage. He simply picked up a fountain pen, twirling it slowly between his long fingers. “How much did Sato pay you for Miss Bennett’s home address and social security number, Douglas?”

“Fifty thousand dollars!” Crane sobbed, breaking instantly under the terrifying pressure in the room. “They said they just wanted to talk to her! They said she was a witness in an insurance matter! I didn't know they were dangerous!”

“You lied to me for fifty thousand dollars,” Claire said, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “You sold my life for the price of a luxury watch.”

“Claire, please!” Crane cried out, reaching toward her shoes. “I’ll give the money back! I’ll tell them I made a mistake!”

“It’s too late for that,” Gabriel said softly. He looked at Elias. “Did Sato’s local men reach her apartment yet?”

“My team was monitoring her street in Lakeview,” Elias reported. “A black van pulled up six minutes ago. Three men broke down her door. They found an empty apartment.”

Claire felt a cold shiver run down her spine. If she had gone home after her shift, if she hadn't stopped Warren Pike’s glass, those three men would have found her sleeping in her bed.

“What do we do with him?” Elias asked, gesturing toward the weeping manager on the floor.

“Put him in a secure holding room at the harbor facility,” Gabriel commanded without looking at Crane. “He stays there under guard until this situation with Kenji Sato is concluded. If he tries to communicate with anyone, throw him in the Sound.”

“No! Please! Mercer! Claire!” Crane shrieked as Elias dragged him roughly back toward the elevator. The doors closed, cutting off his pathetic wails.

The room fell quiet once more, save for the rhythmic patter of rain against the glass.

Gabriel stood up, walking around the desk to where Claire was standing. He reached out, his warm, large fingers gently wrapping around her trembling hand.

“They destroyed your home tonight, Claire,” Gabriel said, his voice filled with deep, genuine remorse. “Your safe place is gone because of me.”

Claire looked up at him, her gray-blue eyes clear and surprisingly fierce. “My apartment was just a place where I stored my father’s old books and paid bills I couldn't afford. It wasn't a home, Gabriel. It was a cage.”