Chapter 15
The car screeched to a halt in front of the mansion. Before I could reach for my seatbelt, Nolan yanked open my door. His arms slipped under my knees and behind my back, lifting me against his chest.
“I can walk ”
“Not taking chances.” His voice vibrated through his chest where my head rested..
The mansion’s front doors burst open as Nolan carried me inside. Guards materialized from every direction, their faces grim.
“Lock down the perimeter,” Nolan barked. “Double the patrols, arm everyone. No one gets within half a mile without clearance.” His arms tightened around me as he issued orders. “Check every camera feed from the past six hours. I want to know how Salvatore’s men slipped through.”
The guards scattered, phones pressed to
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their ears. Metal shutters slid down over windows. Locks clicked into place. throughout the house.
My fingers curled into Nolan’s shirt without my permission. Yesterday, I hadn’t known he existed. Now his heartbeat thundered against my palm, strong and steady while my world spun out of control.
His thumb brushed my arm – such a gentle touch from hands I’d seen break a man’s nose. The contrast made my breath catch. No one had protected me like this before. Not my parents, not Ethan. But here was Nolan, holding me like I was precious, issuing commands to keep me safe.
Heat bloomed in my chest as I watched his jaw clench, green eyes scanning for threats. even inside these walls. The devotion in his actions struck deeper than words ever could. I couldn’t deny it, I was feeling some sort of way already.
“Sir, the security feeds are ready,” a guard
called from down the hall.
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“Keep her safe,” Nolan growled to the nearest guard. But he didn’t set me down. Instead, he carried me toward the security room, as if he couldn’t bear to let me go.
Nolan lowered me into a plush leather chair in the security room. Screens lined the walls, showing different angles of the mansion grounds.
“Get her whatever she needs,” he told the maid hovering nearby. He turned to me, his expression softening. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
I shook my head, but my stomach betrayed me with a growl. His lips twitched.
“Bring her some pasta and fresh juice,” he instructed the maid. “And maybe some of those chocolate cookies from the kitchen.”
For the next few hours, I watched him work. His focus was absolute as he scanned through footage, rewinding and fast-
forwarding, checking timestamps and
camera angles. The maid brought food and
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drinks, which I picked at while my mind raced with questions about this new world I’d stumbled into.
Nolan’s shoulders grew tenser with each passing hour. He’d mutter under his breath, run his hands through his hair in frustration.
The sound of tires on gravel caught my attention. On one of the screens, a black SUV pulled up to the mansion entrance. My breath caught as a familiar figure stepped
out.
Adam burst through the security room door moments later. “Emma!” His eyes swept over me, checking for injuries. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” I managed. “Just scared.”
Nolan straightened from his hunched
position over the monitors. “Boss, I’ve gone through everything. No sign of
unauthorized entry, no tampering with the cameras. But they got in somehow.”
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Adam’s jaw clenched. “A mole?”
“Has to be.” Nolan crossed his arms. “Someone who knows our protocols, our blind spots. They’re feeding information to Salvatore.”
I watched my brother’s face twist with emotion as he turned to me. “Emma, I’m so sorry.” His hand brushed my cheek, the gesture achingly familiar despite our years. apart. “I promised to protect you, and I failed.”
He spun toward the nearest guard, his entire demeanor shifting. The tenderness. vanished, replaced by cold authority. “Get every security member on the front porch. Now. I don’t care if they’re sleeping, eating, or taking a shit. Five minutes.”
The guard’s phone was already at his ear before Adam finished speaking. Through the monitors, I watched figures in black rushing across the grounds, converging on
the mansion’s entrance.
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Adam’s fingers drummed against his thigh as he glanced at the screens. “I want answers,” he growled, “and someone’s going to give them to me.”
