Chapter 5 - The Fortress in Oak Brook
The interior of the Oak Brook estate was warm, silent, and opulent, filled with oil paintings, dark oak paneling, and deep oriental rugs.
Gabriel escorted Vivien up a grand winding staircase to a spacious master suite on the second floor. The room featured a king-sized bed, a roaring fireplace, an adjoining marble bathroom, and a large bay window overlooking the mist-covered gardens below.
A quiet woman in her fifties, wearing a clean housekeeper's apron, was waiting inside with a stack of fresh silk garments and a tray of warm tea.
"This is Rosa," Gabriel introduced softly. "She has been with my family for twenty years. She will see to whatever you need. Food, clothing, medical supplies. If you need anything at all, tell her."
Rosa bowed her head warmly toward Vivien. "Poor child. The bath is drawn, and I've prepared fresh tea with honey for your throat. Please, sit."
Vivien felt a sudden, heavy wave of physical and emotional exhaustion crash over her. Her ribs throbbed, her face burned, and her mind was spinning from the sheer, terrifying velocity of the last four hours.
Gabriel walked toward the heavy bedroom door, stopping on the threshold. "I will be downstairs in my study. There are armed men on every corner of this property. You are completely safe here."
"Gabriel," Vivien called out before he could step into the hall.
He paused, turning his dark eyes back toward her. "Yes?"
"My father," she whispered, her fingers clutching the edge of her cardigan. "He must be out of his mind with worry. If Nathaniel told him I was abducted by your men—"
"Your father is currently at his penthouse on Lake Shore Drive," Gabriel informed her smoothly. "Nathaniel called him at four A.M. to deliver the news personally. I already have two of my men watching his building to ensure Reed doesn't attempt to manipulate him further."
"Can I call him? Can I tell him I'm safe?"
Gabriel’s expression turned solemn. "Not yet, Vivien. Every phone line connected to your father's house, your apartment, and Reed's office is currently being monitored by federal wiretaps. The second you place a call to your father, Reed’s team will triangulate the signal, trace it to this estate, and raid this property with a federal warrant for kidnapping."
Vivien swallowed hard, realizing the terrifying trap Reed had laid. If she revealed she was alive and with Gabriel, it played right into Reed's story that Gabriel was holding her hostage.
"We need proof," Gabriel continued flatly. "We need concrete, indisputable evidence of what Reed did to you in that car before we make a single move. Until then, you must remain dead to the world."
Vivien looked at him, feeling the cold weight of her situation. "How do we get proof of what happened inside a private car at two in the morning?"
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Gabriel offered a low, dangerous smile that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Nathaniel Reed drives a state-owned vehicle, Miss Hayes," Gabriel said softly. "And every state-owned vehicle in the city of Chicago is fitted with an internal diagnostic and GPS telemetry recorder. We just need to go take it."
