Chapter 9 - The Last Shadow
Three days later, the harbor house was quiet, filled with the tranquil rhythm of a life rebuilt on real foundations.
Gideon had spent those three days entirely focused on her. They walked along the rocky beach below the cliffs, holding hands like ordinary lovers. He taught her how to target shoot with his personal sidearm; she taught him how to laugh at small things. They shared a bed every night, not out of contractual obligation, but out of a deep, passionate need that left them tangled in high-thread sheets until the morning sun broke over the water.
On Thursday afternoon, Gideon received a call from his head attorney.
He sat at his dark mahogany desk in the harbor house study, Ruby sitting comfortably in a soft armchair beside him, reading a book with her feet tucked under her.
“Mr. Rossi,” the attorney said through the speakerphone. “The court has finalized the total dissolution of Gallagher Freight’s debt. All liens against Harrison Terminal have been erased. The property is officially registered solely under Ruby Gallagher Rossi’s personal name.”
Gideon looked at Ruby. “Did you hear that?”
Ruby smiled, setting her book down. “I heard.”
“Send the final deeds to her office,” Gideon instructed the lawyer before hanging up.
He leaned back in his chair, looking at his wife. She wore his dark blue sweater, her hair tied in a loose, messy bun, looking completely at home in his world.
“You are officially an independent, wealthy woman, Mrs. Rossi,” Gideon remarked with a faint smile. “You can pack your bags right now and leave with absolute financial security.”
Ruby got up from her chair, walked around the desk, and slid effortlessly onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his.
“I’m not going anywhere, Gideon,” she whispered. “Unless you’re coming with me.”
Gideon opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden, sharp explosion echoed from the front driveway of the estate.
BOOM!
The heavy glass windows of the study rattled violently in their frames. The alarms instantly began to blare throughout the house, red warning lights flashing along the ceilings.
Gideon moved with terrifying speed. He shoved Ruby behind his heavy mahogany desk, pulling two suppressed pistols from a hidden drawer beneath the desktop in a single fluid motion.
“Stay down!” he commanded, his eyes turning to liquid ice.
“Gideon!” she gasped, her heart hammering against her ribs.
“Mateo!” Gideon barked into his shoulder mic as he stepped toward the door. “Report!”
“Boss!” Mateo’s panicked voice came through the comms amidst the sound of intense automatic gunfire outside. “It’s Dante Moretti! He brought twenty men in three armored trucks! They breached the main gate with an explosive charge! They’re pushing toward the main entrance!”
Dante had realized he was doomed after the council meeting. Desperate, stripped of his dignity and facing total bankruptcy, the old mob boss had chosen a suicidal final gamble: attack Gideon’s private house, eliminate Gideon, and take control of the city by force.
“Secure the perimeter!” Gideon ordered cold-bloodedly. “I’m clearing the interior.”
Gideon turned back to Ruby. He reached down, pulled a smaller compact handgun from his ankle holster, and pressed it into her hands.
“You know how to use this,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “If anyone comes through that door who isn't me or Mateo... you pull the trigger until it stops clicking.”
Ruby held the cold steel weapon, her hands remarkably steady despite the terror racing through her veins. She looked at the man she loved—a lord of war standing between her and a wave of violence.
“Come back to me,” she demanded, her voice strong.
Gideon leaned down, kissed her hard on the lips, and smiled a cold, lethal smile.
May you like
“Always, sweet girl.”
He slid out the study door, vanishing into the flashing red shadows of the hallway as the sound of gunfire breached the front foyer.
