Chapter 8 - The Sinking Ship
The warehouse fell into a stunned, heavy silence, broken only by Frankie Marcone groaning in pain as he clutched his bleeding jaw on the concrete.
Adrian stood over him, his chest heaving slightly, his knuckles bruised. He crouched down, grabbed Frankie by the expensive collar of his Brioni suit, and hoisted him up until their faces were inches apart.
"You threatened my house," Adrian whispered, his voice so quiet it sounded like a death sentence. "You threatened my people. And you dared to lay a finger on a woman who belongs under my protection."
"A-Adrian... wait... we can talk..." Frankie choked out, tears of pain pricking his eyes.
"There's nothing to talk about," Adrian said coldly. He tossed Frankie back onto the floor like a piece of trash. "Vance. Take him and his crew to the south side warehouse. Strip them of every asset, every title, and every dollar they have. And make sure Marcone knows he has twenty-four hours to leave the state of Illinois, or his next stop is the bottom of Lake Michigan."
"Done," Vince said, hauling Frankie up by his arms while the other guards rounded up the whimpering enforcers.
Within minutes, the warehouse was cleared of the thugs, leaving only Adrian and Claire standing beneath the flickering industrial lights.
Adrian slowly turned around. He walked toward Claire, his heavy footsteps echoing across the floor.
Claire stood frozen, her heart racing, waiting for the fury she was certain he would unleash for disobeying his orders.
Instead, Adrian stopped right in front of her. He reached out slowly, his large, warm hand gently cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear she hadn't realized she’d shed.
"Are you insane?" he whispered, his voice thick with a mixture of raw emotion and profound relief. "Do you have any idea what he would have done to you?"
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"I couldn't let him hurt you," she whispered back, looking up into his dark, searching eyes.
Adrian pulled her gently against his chest, wrapping his arms around her with an embrace so fierce and protective it felt like a fortress. Claire buried her face in the lapel of his coat, letting out a long, shuddering breath as all the tension of the past six years finally melted away.
