Chapter 46 - Sanctuary in the Storm
The Greenwich safe house was a discreet, unlisted brownstone tucked into a quiet, tree-lined street. Inside, it was a fortress of mahogany and reinforced steel, heavily supplied and completely off the grid.
A private medical team, bound by ironclad non-disclosure agreements, was waiting in the parlor. They immediately took Dante to a sterile back room to properly clean and suture the shrapnel wound in his deltoid.
Maya refused medical attention until Sofia was settled. She carried the sleeping little girl upstairs to a warm, plush bedroom. With gentle, trembling hands, Maya stripped away the damp, oversized yellow cardigan and dressed Sofia in a set of clean, soft cotton pajamas found in the dresser.
Once Sofia was tucked beneath the heavy down comforter, Maya collapsed onto a velvet armchair in the corner of the room, exhaustion finally claiming her.
An hour later, the door creaked open. Dante stepped inside. He wore a clean white t-shirt that stretched tightly across his broad chest, a fresh white bandage visible on his shoulder. His dark, wavy hair was damp from a shower, washing away the soot and blood of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
He walked over to the armchair and knelt beside Maya. With exquisite care, he took her torn, bleeding wrists into his hands, gently applying an antiseptic salve and wrapping them in sterile white gauze.
"You didn't have to stay," Dante murmured, his voice softer than velvet. "I offered you a way out weeks ago."
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"I told you," Maya whispered, her eyes fluttering open, looking down at his bowed head. "I have boundaries. And leaving a child in the dark isn't one of them."
Dante looked up, his pale gray eyes locking onto hers. "You are the bravest woman I have ever known, Maya Bennett."
