Chapter 2
The revelation hung in the cold air like thick smoke. Dominic remained silent for several long seconds, processing the sheer weight of Emily’s words. Caleb’s presence at the scene meant one of two things: either his cousin was running a shadow operation behind his back, or he was actively targeting the people inside this house.
“Are you certain it was Caleb?” Dominic asked, his tone dropping an octave.
“I’d recognize his face anywhere,” Emily insisted, leaning forward slightly despite the pain radiating up her leg. “He was wearing that dark wool coat with the silver collar pin he always wears. He looked right at me while I was on the ground. He watched me bleed from a cut on my palm, and he didn’t move a muscle.”
Dominic turned his back to her, pacing slowly toward the large fireplace. The wood fire crackled softly, throwing warm orange light across his carved features.
“Caleb has managed my outer security perimeter for seven years,” Dominic muttered, more to himself than to her. “If he’s monitoring your apartment, he isn’t doing it to protect you. He’s keeping tabs on who approaches you.”
“Why me?” Emily asked, her voice crackling with emotion. “I clean rooms. I scrub floorboards. I don’t know your business secrets, Mr. Moretti. I don’t want to know them.”
Dominic turned around, his gaze piercing. “Because you have access to this floor. The men who work for me aren’t allowed up here without an escort. You’re up here every morning at eight o’clock. To anyone looking for a breach in my armor, you are the easiest entry point.”
Before Emily could reply, a firm knock echoed against the heavy wooden door of the study.
“Dominic?”
It was Caleb’s voice from the hallway outside. Calm, smooth, completely unbothered.
Emily’s breath caught in her throat. She instinctively shrank back into the leather armchair, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs.
Dominic held up a single finger, instructing her to stay quiet. He walked smoothly across the rug and unlocked the door, opening it just wide enough to stand in the frame, blocking the view into the room.
“What is it, Caleb?” Dominic asked calmly.
Caleb stood in the hallway, holding a leather-bound folder. He smiled, his expression warm and entirely natural. “Just checking on the perimeter reports for the Northside docks. Also, I noticed Ms. Carter looked pretty shaken up earlier. Is everything alright with her?”
Dominic didn’t blink. “She dropped a tray. She twisted her ankle on the ice this morning. She’s fine.”
Caleb’s eyes flicked past Dominic’s shoulder toward the dark interior of the room, though he couldn’t see Emily from where he stood. “Right. Slippery out there today. I can have one of the drivers take her home early if she needs to rest.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Dominic replied smoothly. “I have work for her here in the main wing. Make sure the dock reports are on my desk by three.”
Caleb hesitated for a fraction of a second, his smile tightening slightly around the eyes. “Understood. Let me know if you need anything else.”
As Caleb turned and walked down the long carpeted corridor, Dominic watched him until he disappeared down the grand staircase. Then he stepped back into the room, closed the door, and locked it again.
“He knows,” Emily whispered, her voice trembling. “He knows I saw him.”
“He suspects,” Dominic corrected, walking back to his desk. He reached into the top drawer, pulled out a encrypted satellite phone, and dialed a rapid sequence.
He placed the phone to his ear and spoke firmly. “Vince. Get the safehouse in Highland Park ready. Put four men on the outer fence. No public access, no radios. I’m moving a priority asset in thirty minutes.”
May you like
He ended the call and looked at Emily.
“Get your coat,” Dominic commanded softly. “You’re leaving the estate through the private garage. Starting right now, nobody outside this room knows where you are.”
