Chapter 2 - Into the Lion’s Den
The glass walls of the 88th-floor penthouse overlooked a storm-swept Manhattan, but inside, the air was thicker than the rain beating against the reinforced panes.
Willa Vance sat on the edge of an Italian leather sofa, her fingers tightly interwoven over her apron. She hadn't been allowed to change out of her stained catering uniform. The black cotton was stiff, smelling faintly of spilled pinot noir and the industrial detergent from the venue kitchen.
To her right, Titan lay like a sleeping gargoyle on the marble floor. His heavy chin rested squarely across her worn shoes, pinning her in place. Every time she twitched, the dog let out a soft, possessive sigh, his massive ribs expanding against her ankles.
"Drink it," a voice commanded from the shadows.
Kendrick Ashford stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass, a crystal tumbler of whiskey in hand. He hadn't touched the alcohol. He simply watched her reflection in the dark glass.
Willa looked at the glass of warm water resting on the mahogany table in front of her. "I'm not thirsty, Mr. Ashford."
"It wasn't a request." Kendrick turned around. In the dim lighting of his private study, the line of his jaw looked as if it had been carved from granite. He was six-foot-three of controlled danger, devoid of the flashy gold or loud tailored suits preferred by men like Barrett Hayes. Kendrick wore black on black, immaculate and lethal. "You've been shaking since we left the hall."
"Anyone in my position would be shaking," Willa said, her voice quiet but remarkably steady. She met his cold grey eyes. "I came to work a twelve-hour catering shift so I could pay my rent. Now I'm sitting in the penthouse of a man who controls every dock, union, and casino between here and Boston."
A faint, almost imperceptible twitch appeared at the corner of Kendrick's mouth. "You know who I am."
"Everyone in New York knows who you are," she replied. "And everyone knows that people who end up in your inner circle without your permission usually don't walk out."
Before Kendrick could respond, the heavy mahogany door swung open. Barrett Hayes stepped into the room without knocking, his face still flushed a dark, angry red. Two armed men in charcoal suits stood behind him in the hallway.
"Kendrick, this madness has gone far enough," Barrett growled, marching toward the desk. "The bosses of the Five Families are down on the 80th floor right now, demanding to know why you canceled the bride selection for a common servant. My daughter, Julianna, is humiliated. The Hayes family will not be made a laughingstock."
Titan's eyes snapped open. The 150-pound beast didn't bark; he simply raised his head from Willa's shoes and uttered a low, guttural growl that vibrated through the floorboards.
"Sit down, Barrett," Kendrick said softly.
"I will not sit down!" Barrett slammed a palm onto the mahogany desk. "Look at her! Who is she? Where did she come from? She could be a plant from the Voronin syndicate. She could be wearing a wire! I want my security team to take her downstairs to the holding room and process her properly."
One of the bodyguards in the hallway stepped forward.
In a fraction of a second, Kendrick moved. He didn't draw a weapon. He simply closed the distance, grabbed the bodyguard by his throat, and slammed his head into the doorframe. The crack of bone echoed through the room like a gunshot. The guard crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
Kendrick didn't even look down at the fallen man. He adjusted his cuffs, his grey eyes locked on Barrett, whose anger vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of white-hot fear.
"I told you once down in the hall," Kendrick murmured, his voice deadly quiet. "Anyone who touches this girl leaves this building in a box. Did you think I was making a joke for the press, Barrett?"
"No... Kendrick, listen to reason—"
"I don't listen to reason from men who slam their hands on my desk," Kendrick cut in. "Get out. Take your daughter and go back to Long Island. The alliance dinner is postponed."
Barrett swallowed hard, glancing at Willa with a hatred so visceral it felt like a physical weight. "This isn't over, Ashford. The syndicate board won't accept a nobody as the matriarch of the Ashford estate."
"The syndicate board doesn't own this estate," Kendrick said. "I do."
When the door slammed shut behind Barrett and his remaining man, the study fell into silence again.
Kendrick walked back to his desk, took a seat behind the dark wood, and leaned back. He looked at Willa, who hadn't flinched during the violence. Her hands were still clasped, her shoulders set.
"You didn't scream," Kendrick observed.
"I've seen men get hit before," Willa said.
"Where?"
"In the neighborhood where I grew up." She looked down at Titan, who had settled his head back over her feet. "Are you going to tell me what happens to me now? Or am I a prisoner?"
"My daughter is upstairs," Kendrick said, ignoring her question. "Since her mother died three years ago, Penny hasn't spoken a word to anyone outside of me and Marcus, my head of security. She doesn't like strangers. She screams if a woman comes within five feet of her. Tonight, she walked across a ballroom, ignored fifteen women worth billions of dollars, and pointed at you."
He leaned forward, placing his forearms on the desk.
"And Titan," Kendrick continued, gesturing toward the dog. "Titan was trained by the Italian military. He doesn't like anyone. He bit off the thumb of a Russian lieutenant who tried to touch my shoulder last winter. Yet right now, he's guarding your shoes like you're made of glass."
Willa swallowed the dry lump in her throat. "I don't know why, Mr. Ashford. I swear to you, I've never seen your dog or your daughter before tonight."
Kendrick stared at her for a long, agonizing minute. The silence stretched so thin that the sound of the rain outside felt deafening.
"Maybe you haven't," Kendrick said slowly. "But they know you. And in my house, their instincts are the only law that matters."
He stood up, walking toward the door that led to the private residential wing of the penthouse.
"You stay here tonight," Kendrick commanded. "Tomorrow morning, a car will take you to my estate in Westchester. You are Penny's personal caretaker now."
Willa stood up, causing Titan to rise beside her like a grey storm cloud. "And if I say no?"
May you like
Kendrick paused at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. His grey eyes were unreadable, but there was something dark and possessive lurking in their depths.
"You don't say no to me, Willa," he said quietly. "Because outside this building, Barrett Hayes is already organizing a crew to put a bullet in your head for humiliating his daughter. The only place in this city where you stay breathing is right beside me."
