Chapter 5 - An Uninvited Escort
The convoy moved through the sleeping city like a pair of predators navigating the dark. The city lights smeared across the rain-streaked windows as the armored SUV took sharp, deliberate turns through Boston’s backstreets.
Sadie had fallen asleep against Noel’s side, clutching her stuffed bear. Noel ran her fingers through the girl's hair, her own pulse racing every time the SUV accelerated.
Emmet sat beside her, phone pressed to his ear, his voice low, sharp, and razor-focused.
"Lock down the manifests at Terminal Four," Emmet ordered into the receiver. "If Vincent’s customs broker tries to shred the original paper logs, take him into custody. Noel is the only one who knows the filing schema for the 2018 port lease. Have the vault secured under armed guard."
He lowered the phone, glancing sideways at Noel. "You’re trembling."
"I’m sitting in an armored truck with a mafia boss who just told me his family wants to murder me over paperwork," Noel whispered fiercely. "Pardon me if I’m not completely relaxed."
Emmet looked at her for a long moment. In the dim light of the dashboard, the harsh planes of his face looked carved from granite. "I won't let anything touch you, Noel. I swore that to myself the day you joined Sartori Holdings."
"Why?" Noel asked, meeting his gaze directly. "You didn't know me. I was just a twenty-two-year-old college dropout desperate for health insurance."
"You were the only person in that entire den of thieves who didn't look for an angle," Emmet replied, his voice quiet. "Everyone who works for my family wants power, money, or blood. You came in every day at six in the morning, kept your head down, and built a sanctuary out of order in a world of absolute chaos. I admired that. More than you could ever know."
Before Noel could process the confession, the driver barked out: "Boss! Black sedan coming in hard on the rear left flank! They’ve jumped the median!"
The sudden screech of tires tore through the night.
Noel gasped, throwing her arms around Sadie as the SUV violently swerved. A heavy black sedan slammed into the driver's side of their vehicle with a deafening crunch of metal.
Sadie woke up screaming. "Noel! What's happening?!"
"Stay down!" Noel yelled, pulling Sadie onto the floorboard between the seats.
Emmet’s demeanor changed in a fraction of a second. The calm, brooding executive vanished, replaced by a lethal warlord. He pulled a heavy semi-automatic handgun from his shoulder holster, racking the slide with a clean, terrifying click.
"Marco, ram them into the concrete barrier at the bridge exit," Emmet ordered calmly. "Do not let them box us in."
"Hold on!" the driver shouted.
The SUV accelerated, the massive V8 engine roaring. Marco cut the steering wheel hard to the left, using the armored chassis of the SUV to slam the attacking sedan sideways into the highway's concrete divider. Sparks exploded into the night as metal ground against concrete. The attacker's car spun out violently, tires smoking, before crashing into the bridge railing and coming to a dead stop.
Sadie was sobbing, burying her face into Noel’s sweater. Noel held her with all her strength, her own heart pounding so hard she felt sick.
Emmet leaned over, placing a large, warm hand firmly on Noel’s shoulder. His touch was steadying, an anchor in the storm.
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"It's over," he said softly, his eyes searching her face. "You’re safe. Look at me, Noel. You’re safe."
She looked up into his slate-gray eyes, seeing neither coldness nor contempt, but a fierce, protective fire that left her breathless.
