Chapter 1 - The Girl Who Walked Through Walls
"I'm Mia," the little girl said, her voice steady despite the massive, scarred man kneeling before her. She didn't flinch when Bennett’s trembling hand reached out, hovering just an inch from her cheek, terrified to touch her in case she vanished like smoke.
"Mia," Bennett repeated. The name tasted like ash in his mouth. Lily had wanted a girl. Lily had wanted a house full of noise and chaos, far away from the blood money that built Cedarhaven. "Where is your mother, Mia?"
Mia pointed toward the heavy oak doors of the drawing room. "She told me to wait in the car. But Button ran, and I ran, and she didn’t see me."
Walter, who had already drawn his sidearm and signaled the perimeter guards, pressed two fingers to his earpiece. "Boss. We have an abandoned 2018 Honda Civic running near the south service gate. Driver's side door is open. No sign of the driver, but..." Walter swallowed hard. "There's a purse on the ground. And blood on the steering wheel."
Bennett stood up. The vulnerability that had shattered his face seconds ago vanished, replaced by the cold, dead-eyed predator that had conquered New York’s underworld.
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"Lock down the estate. No one gets in, no one gets out," Bennett commanded, his voice a low, lethal hum. He looked down at Mia. "You're going to stay with me, Mia. I’m going to find your mother."
As Walter rushed to execute the orders, Bennett lifted the little girl into his arms. She smelled like strawberries and rain. Exactly like Lily.
