Chapter 4 - The Extraction
My apartment felt like a trap. I had packed two small duffel bags, trying to act normal as Nora sat on the living room rug, coloring a new picture of a horse.
At 6:00 PM, the burner phone on the kitchen counter vibrated.
I snatched it up. "Declan?"
"Are you packed?" His voice was tense, clipped.
"Yes. What’s happening?"
"Halpern knows I’m looking into him. He panicked. He just sent two men to your building. They are in the elevator right now."
My blood turned to ice. "What? Declan, Nora is here—"
"I know. Open your front door. Now."
I ran to the door, throwing the deadbolt and yanking it open. Standing in the hallway, out of breath and holding a heavy steel crowbar, was one of Declan's men from the night before.
"Miss, with me. Toward the fire stairs," the man said urgently.
I grabbed Nora’s hand so hard she yelped. "Mommy, what's wrong?"
"We’re playing a game, baby. We have to be really quiet and run fast," I lied, my voice shaking as I scooped her into my arms, abandoning the bags.
We sprinted down the hallway just as the elevator pinged. I heard heavy boots hit the carpet, followed by a muffled curse as they realized my door was open and the apartment was empty.
We burst through the fire exit, running down three flights of stairs. At the bottom, the heavy metal door swung open, and I crashed directly into a solid, immovable chest.
Strong arms caught me instantly. I looked up in terror, only to meet Declan’s fierce, dark eyes.
"I've got you," he breathed, wrapping his coat around me and Nora, ushering us into the alleyway where his armored SUV was waiting. "You're safe."
Once the doors slammed shut, the vehicle sped off into the rainy New York night. I was shaking violently, clutching Nora to my chest. Declan poured a glass of water from a small console and handed it to me.
"Who were they?" I choked out.
"Thugs on Halpern's payroll. They were supposed to intimidate you. Break a few things. Make sure you knew the threat was real," Declan said, his eyes burning with a cold, lethal fury. "They won't be a problem anymore."
"Where are we going?"
"My penthouse. It’s a fortress. Nobody gets on that floor without my biometric scan." Declan shifted in his seat, his gaze dropping to Nora, who was staring at him with wide, innocent eyes.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slightly crushed apple slice in a ziplock bag. She held it out to him. "Are you mad at us?" she asked quietly.
The hard, ruthless lines of Declan Shaw’s face shattered completely. He took the little bag from her tiny hand with a reverence that made my chest ache. "No, little one," he said softly. "I am not mad at you. I am very angry at the bad men who frightened you."
"Are you going to go get Marcus now?" she asked. "Mommy cries about him at night."
Declan’s eyes snapped up to meet mine. The intensity in his stare was enough to steal the air from my lungs.
"Yes," Declan said to Nora, but he was looking right at me. "I am going to get him right now. You and your mom are going to stay at my house and eat ice cream until I come back."
"You can't just kick down their door," I said, panic rising again. "It’s kidnapping. The police will arrest you."
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"The police don't go where I'm going," Declan said smoothly. He leaned forward, tapping the glass partition. The car pulled up to a towering glass skyscraper in Tribeca.
"Wait for me," he told me as the doors opened. "Keep her safe. I will bring him back to you."
