Chapter 8 - The Traitor in the Gates
The kiss was fierce, warm, and filled with three weeks of unexpressed passion, relief, and deep devotion.
I wrapped my arms around Arthur’s neck, pulling him closer, feeling the solid, heavy strength of his body against mine. He groaned softly into my mouth, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist, lifting me slightly off my feet as he held me against his chest.
When he finally pulled back, both of us were breathing heavily, our foreheads resting together in the quiet light of the study.
"I won't let him touch you, Norah," Arthur vowed, his voice a low growl against my lips. "I will end Salvatore Romano before the sun sets today."
"How did he get these photos, Arthur?" I asked, pointing to the pictures on his desk. "Two of them were taken inside the River Forest estate gates."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed into dark slits.
He turned toward the door. "Thomas."
The driver stepped into the study three seconds later. "Yes, Mr. Costa?"
"Who managed the perimeter security feed on the afternoon of the fourteenth?" Arthur asked calmly.
Thomas looked startled. "That... that was Marcus, sir. The night supervisor."
"Bring Marcus to the wine cellar," Arthur commanded softly. "Now."
Ten minutes later, in the heavy stone basement beneath the grand mansion, Marcus—a thirty-five-year-old security guard hired six months ago—stood trembling against the stone wall, flanked by Thomas and two armed guards.
Arthur sat on an oak barrel, holding the photos in his hand.
"Salvatore paid you," Arthur said, his tone entirely conversational. "How much?"
"Mr. Costa... I don't know what you're talking about!" Marcus stammered, sweat pouring down his face. "I swear to God—"
Arthur didn't raise his hand. He simply looked at Thomas.
Thomas stepped forward, pulled Marcus’s encrypted phone from his pocket, and handed it to Arthur.
Arthur tapped the screen twice. "A wire transfer of fifty thousand dollars arrived in your offshore account two days ago from a Romano holding company."
Marcus fell to his knees, sobbing. "They threatened my sister, Mr. Costa! Salvatore said he'd kill her if I didn't send pictures of the new wife!"
I stood near the cellar stairs, watching the exchange.
Arthur stood up, walking over to the kneeling guard.
"You put my wife in danger," Arthur said, his voice devoid of all humanity. "You put my children in danger inside my own gates."
"Arthur," I said softly from the stairs.
Arthur paused, looking back at me.
"He has a sister," I said quietly, stepping down into the cellar. "If Salvatore is threatening his family, Marcus was trapped. That doesn't excuse his betrayal, but killing him won't fix the threat."
Arthur stared at me, then looked down at Marcus.
"You are going to call Salvatore," Arthur commanded Marcus coldness. "You are going to tell him that Norah is meeting him at Pier 14 alone at three o'clock, just as he requested."
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Marcus blinked through his tears. "And then?"
"And then," Arthur said, reaching into his coat and pulling out his sleek black pistol, "my men will be waiting inside the warehouse."
