Chapter 5 - A Shadow in the Alley and the Enforcer’s Warning
Two weeks passed under a grueling routine. By day, Clare spent hours at the hospital, watching Oliver’s health stabilize under the cutting-edge treatments funded by Sebastian. By night, she was driven through changing routes to the penthouse, pushing Sebastian through agonizing hours of physical therapy.
The progress was undeniable. Sebastian could now flex both ankles, extend his left knee with forty percent resistance, and sit upright without relying on his upper arms for balance.
But the city was growing restless.
It was nearly midnight when Clare’s escort car pulled into the alley behind her old apartment building to collect her remaining personal belongings. Gabriel was behind the wheel.
“Stay in the vehicle, Ms. Bennett,” Gabriel said, his eyes scanning the side mirrors.
“I just need ten minutes to pack Oliver’s childhood books,” Clare insisted, opening the car door. “The movers didn’t take the storage trunk.”
“Ms. Bennett—”
Before Gabriel could step out, the headlights of a black sedan at the end of the alley flashed on, blinding them.
Two men in heavy leather jackets stepped into the narrow passage, their hands concealed in their pockets.
Gabriel moved with terrifying speed. He drew a suppressed pistol from beneath his coat, stepped between Clare and the alley entrance, and shoved her back into the SUV. “Down. Now.”
One of the men laughed—a harsh, grating sound. “Tell the cripple his time is up, Mendes! Marco sends his regards!”
A volley of gunfire shattered the quiet night. Bullets pinged against the reinforced armor plating of the SUV’s doors. Clare screamed, covering her head on the floorboards as Gabriel returned fire through the lowered driver's window with cold, mechanical precision.
Two shots. Two muffled thuds.
Silence returned to the alley, broken only by the steam hissing from the shattered radiator of the attackers' car.
Gabriel holstered his weapon, his breathing completely even. He shifted the SUV into reverse, stomping on the gas and tearing out of the alley onto the main avenue.
Clare sat up, trembling uncontrollably. “Who was that? Who is Marco?”
Gabriel glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Marco Lombardi. Sebastian’s first cousin. And the man who believes he will inherit the Lombardi empire when Sebastian dies.”
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“He tried to kill us!”
“He tried to see who Sebastian’s new driver was picking up every night,” Gabriel corrected grimly. “Marco has noticed the extra security around the penthouse. He knows something is happening. And now, he knows you exist.”
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