Chapter 5 - The Safe Haven
Inside the Highland Park estate, the morning sun poured through the high Gothic windows of the east wing suite, casting warm, golden rectangles across the Persian rugs.
Nora woke to the sound of soft jazz playing from a vintage turntable in the corner.
She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, blinking against the light. She was lying in a massive, four-poster bed draped in crisp white Egyptian cotton. Her worn-out clothes had vanished, replaced by a soft cashmere lounge set folded neatly on the velvet bench at the foot of the bed.
The door clicked open softly.
Maeve Carter—the quiet, sharp-eyed nurse Dominic had hired months earlier—walked in carrying a silver tray laden with fresh berries, scrambled eggs, and a tall glass of orange juice.
“Morning,” Maeve said, her voice calm and soothing. “How are you feeling?”
Nora touched her abdomen instinctively. “I... I slept. For the first time in six months, I didn't wake up checking the locks three times.”
“Good,” Maeve set the tray across Nora’s lap. “Dominic instructed the kitchen to prepare this specifically for your iron levels. He’s been on the phone with three different obstetricians in the city since 5:00 a.m., vetting their credentials personally.”
Nora smiled faintly, shaking her head. “He hasn't changed. Always treating the world like a tactical operation.”
“He cares,” Maeve said simply, sitting in the armchair beside the bed. “Before you arrived, this house was a tomb. Dominic spent every waking hour staring at monitors, trying to figure out who killed Eli and Claire. You being here... it gives him something to protect that isn't made of steel or concrete.”
An hour later, Nora walked down the grand staircase into the foyer.
The estate was quiet, but she could hear the muffled sound of voices coming from Dominic’s private study down the hall. The heavy oak door was ajar.
She walked closer, intending to knock, but stopped when she heard Dante Russo’s rough voice speaking inside.
“Boss, the federal marshals are circling Harrison Albright’s offices as we speak,” Dante said. “And we traced the offshore wire transfers from Albright’s accounts to the hit squad that rigged Eli’s car. It was a joint operation between the O’Connell crew and Albright’s shell companies.”
Nora’s breath caught in her throat. She gripped the polished wooden doorframe, her knuckles turning white.
Inside the study, Dominic sat behind his mahogany desk, his face carved from granite.
“Find every last one of them,” Dominic said, his voice dropping into that lethal, quiet register that made even his closest capos tread lightly. “I want the O’Connell brothers pulled out of their safehouses by midnight. And as for Harrison Albright... let him sweat for forty-eight hours before we hand his financial records to the federal prosecutor. I want him to watch his entire legacy dissolve into nothing before he spends the rest of his natural life behind bars.”
“Consider it done,” Dante nodded, turning toward the door.
As Dante stepped out of the study, he saw Nora standing in the hallway. His tough exterior softened instantly, and he offered a respectful nod. “Mrs. Warren. Good morning.”
“Dante,” she whispered.
Dominic looked up from his desk. When his eyes met Nora’s in the doorway, the harsh, unforgiving warlord vanished for a fraction of a second, replaced by a man carrying an impossible burden of guilt.
“Nora,” Dominic said, standing up and walking around the desk. “You should be resting.”
“I heard enough,” she said, stepping into the study. She looked up into his gray eyes, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “You’re waging a war for me, Dominic. And for Eli.”
“It’s a war that was overdue,” Dominic replied, stopping an arm’s length away from her.
Nora reached out, her small hand resting gently against his chest, right over his heart. “Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“Don't let revenge consume you,” she whispered, tears glistening in her dark eyes. “Eli is gone. We can’t bring him back. But we can protect what he left behind. That’s all I care about now.”
May you like
Dominic looked down at her hand on his chest. Slowly, he placed his large, warm hand over hers, holding it tightly against him.
“I promise,” Dominic said softly. “You and this child are my only focus now. Nothing else touches this house.”
