Chapter 12 - Confessions in the Rain
The armored van sped along Storrow Drive, sirens wailing in the distance as the city police responded to the reports of gunfire at the harbor.
Inside the vehicle, Noel expertly wrapped a sterile compression bandage around Emmet’s shoulder, securing it with medical tape. Her hands were covered in his blood, but her focus was razor-sharp.
"The bleeding has stopped," she said, tying off the bandage. "You’re going to need stitches."
"After the board meeting," Emmet said, sitting up with a grunt of pain. He pulled a fresh white dress shirt from the vehicle's emergency supply locker, slipping it over his broad shoulders with Noel’s assistance, then buttoned a clean black suit jacket over the bandage.
He looked in the vanity mirror, straightening his tie, the ruthless kingpin persona snapping back into place like armor. Yet, when he turned to Noel, his eyes remained completely open and vulnerable.
"Elena called from the estate," Emmet said softly. "Sadie is safe. The perimeter is fully locked down. Whatever happens in that boardroom today, your sister will receive her surgery on Tuesday, and her trust fund has been established under an anonymous offshore entity. You will never have to worry about money again."
Noel froze, looking at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You did that before we even left the house?"
"Of course I did," Emmet said. "Because if I don't walk out of that boardroom alive today, I wanted to make sure you and Sadie were protected for the rest of your lives."
Noel stepped toward him, anger and fierce affection colliding in her chest. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket, forcing him to look directly into her eyes.
"Don't you dare talk like that," she whispered furiously. "You don't get to spend three years protecting me from the shadows, show up at my apartment with a birthday cake, and then leave me behind. You are walking out of that boardroom alive, Emmet Sartori. With me."
Emmet stared at her, his breath catching in his throat. For three years, he had kept the world at bay, bearing the crushing weight of an underworld empire alone. Now, looking at the fierce, beautiful woman standing before him, he realized he was no longer fighting just for survival.
He was fighting for a future.
He reached out, his hand sliding behind her neck, pulling her toward him. He pressed his lips against hers in a desperate, passionate kiss that tasted of rain, iron, and years of unspoken longing.
Noel kissed him back with equal intensity, her fingers tangling in his dark hair, cementing a bond forged in blood and fire.
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When they parted, Emmet rested his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy.
"Let’s go finish this," he whispered.
