Chapter 4 - The Iron Estate
By noon, I was sitting in the back of an armored Mercedes, watching the city skyline shrink behind us as we crossed the river into the private, gated estates of North Hill.
Lily sat beside me, her small eyes wide with wonder as she pressed her nose against the dark tinted glass. "Mommy, are we going to a castle?"
"No, baby," I whispered, holding her close. "Just a house."
It was a castle in every way that mattered.
The Salvatore estate sat behind twelve-foot wrought-iron gates topped with security cameras and armed guards wearing dark tactical vests. The driveway wound through three acres of manicured pine trees before opening onto a massive stone manor built in the 1920s.
When the car stopped, Dominic was standing on the wide stone steps, wearing a dark blue sweater and dark trousers. Without his suit coat, he looked younger, but no less formidable.
He stepped down to open my door himself.
"Emma," he said softly. He looked down at Lily, dropping to one knee on the gravel drive so he was at eye level with her. "And you must be Lily."
Lily looked at him cautiously from behind my coat. "Are you the man who sent the big black car?"
"I am," Dominic said, a faint, rare smile touching his lips. "I heard you like blueberry pancakes. My chef made a plate for you inside."
Lily’s eyes lit up. "With whip cream?"
"With extra whip cream," Dominic promised. He stood up, looking at me. "Your apartment has been packed. Your belongings are being moved into the guest cottage near the garden. It is secure, fully staffed, and five minutes from a private school."
"I didn't agree to live here, Dominic," I said, my voice dropping low so Lily wouldn't hear the sharp edge in my tone.
"You didn't have a choice, Emma," he replied quietly, turning to lead us up the steps. "Thirty minutes ago, my men intercepted three Moretti enforcers outside your diner with a gallon of gasoline and two unregistered handguns. They weren't coming to collect rent."
My legs felt suddenly weak. I reached out, steadying myself against the stone pillar of the entrance.
May you like
"They know," I whispered.
"They know," Dominic agreed, his eyes turning cold as ice. "And until I eliminate the men who authorized that hit, this is the only place on earth where you and your daughter are safe."
