Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Mansion
By nightfall, my life had completely shattered and rebuilt itself into something unrecognizable.
Instead of returning to our cramped, leaky two-bedroom apartment near the train tracks, Lucy and I were escorted to the east wing of the Hale estate. The suite we were given was larger than my entire apartment building. It featured floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the misty grounds, velvet curtains, and two king-sized beds with silk sheets.
Lucy was fast asleep on one of the beds, her arms wrapped around a stuffed bear Vincent’s housekeeper had brought up.
Lying at the foot of her bed, curled up like a gargoyle carved from dark stone, was Grimm. He refused to leave the room. Every time a floorboard creaked in the hallway outside, the dog’s ears would twitch, but as long as Lucy was breathing softly, he remained still.
I stood by the window, clutching a warm cup of chamomile tea, staring out into the darkness.
A quiet knock sounded at the door.
I opened it to find Vincent standing in the hallway. He had taken off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his collar, looking less like a crime kingpin and more like a man weighed down by heavy thoughts.
"She’s asleep?" he asked softly.
"She collapsed the second her head hit the pillow," I said. "Vincent... you don't have to do this. We can go home. I can keep coming to work, or I can find another job if it's too complicated—"
"You're not going anywhere, Claire," Vincent interrupted, his tone firm but not unkind. "Your apartment lease was terminated two hours ago. My men have already moved your belongings into storage. You and Lucy are staying here."
I gasped. "You terminated my lease without asking me?"
"Nolan saw your daughter today," Vincent said, stepping into the room and shutting the door quietly behind him. "Nolan is a snake. He’s been trying to take over my territorial agreements with the syndicate in New York for six months. He knows Grimm reacted to Lucy. He knows she means something to this house. If I let you walk out those gates tonight, Nolan will use you as leverage against me within forty-eight hours."
Fear, cold and sharp, pierced my chest. "Leverage?"
"My brother doesn't have a soul, Claire," Vincent said grimly. "Thomas died saving my life. I will not let Thomas's daughter become collateral damage in my family's war. You stay here, where my most trusted men can protect you."
"And what about you?" I asked, looking into his tired, dark eyes. "Are you protecting us because of Thomas, or because you feel guilty?"
Vincent walked over to the edge of Lucy’s bed. He looked down at the little girl, then at the massive dog resting his head on her feet.
"Both," Vincent admitted quietly. "For four years, I thought Thomas’s sacrifice was a debt I could never settle. Finding you and Lucy... it’s a second chance. I don't get many of those in my line of work."
He turned back toward the door, pausing with his hand on the brass knob. "Tomorrow morning, Marcus will take you to sign paperwork. I’m transferring forty percent of my non-criminal holdings—real estate, legitimate transport firms—into a private trust for Lucy. If anything happens to me, you and your daughter will never have to worry about money again."
"Vincent, no," I breathed, stunned. "That’s millions of dollars!"
"It’s what Thomas paid for with his life," Vincent said simply. "Get some sleep, Claire. Tomorrow, the hard part begins."
May you like
He slipped out of the room, leaving me alone in the quiet luxury of the suite.
I looked over at Lucy. Grimm shifted his position slightly, opening one golden eye to look at me before letting out a long, contented sigh and closing it again. I sat down on the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands. I had come to this house as a maid struggling to buy groceries. Now, I was trapped in the heart of a war between two ruthless brothers, with a mob boss as our guardian and a devilish dog as our protector.
