Chapter 11
The extraction team was already waiting, exactly as Silas had promised.
Two armored black luxury SUVs idled silently in the shadows of the abandoned subway terminal.
Four men in sharp suits stepped out, holding heavy umbrellas to shield their boss from the freezing rain.
They quickly took the wounded man from Victor, loading him into a mobile trauma unit in the back of a van.
Silas turned to Nora, the rain washing the blood and mud from his pale face.
"The Midnight Grille is a war zone," Silas said bluntly.
"The Romanovs will investigate the bodies, and they will realize you helped me escape."
Nora hugged herself, realizing that the quiet, hidden life she had built was completely destroyed.
"I have no money, no car, and nowhere else to run," Nora admitted, tears finally spilling hot down her freezing cheeks.
Silas reached into his ruined slacks and pulled out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills wrapped in a rubber band.
He held it out to her.
"This is fifty thousand dollars," Silas said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
"It is enough to disappear, change your names, and start over in a different state."
Nora stared at the money, the physical manifestation of freedom and terror.
"Or," Silas continued, pulling his hand back slightly.
"You come with me."
Nora looked up, meeting his dead, pitch-black eyes.
"Why would I go with the most dangerous man in the city?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"Because the most dangerous man in the city owes your husband a life debt," Silas answered simply.
"And under my roof, no one will ever touch a hair on your daughter's head again."
May you like
Nora looked down at Lily, who was shivering violently in the cold rain.
She didn't want to run anymore.
