Chapter 7 - The Trap Closes
The air in Room 147 went dead.
Nathaniel didn't look at the nurse. He didn't look at Elena, who had curled herself into a tight ball against the pillows with her stuffed rabbit. His entire focus—every ounce of his imposing, dangerous energy—was locked onto me.
“How did you get in here, Ava?” he asked, his voice dangerously low. He didn't raise his voice, but the quiet command in it made the room feel smaller, as if the walls were pressing inward.
“Your enemy gave me the key,” I fired back, my voice shaking with a rage so hot it burned through the shock. I lifted my chin, refusing to shrink back under his gaze. “Julian Sterling was standing right outside in the hallway when you left. He’s the one who told me about the second life you’ve been running behind my back.”
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. He took two slow, measured steps into the room, closing the distance between us until I could smell the familiar scent of his sandalwood cologne mixed with the sharp tang of autumn rain.
“Julian was in this hallway?” Nathaniel’s voice dropped another octave, turning lethal.
“He gave me the key, Nathaniel!” I shouted, the dam finally breaking. Tears of betrayal stung my eyes, but I blinked them back with fierce pride. “He told me you brought me here as a decoy! A distraction so you could move your cargo while I played the clueless wife walking into your trap!”
Nathaniel reached out, his large hand gripping my upper arm, not hurting me, but anchoring me in place with absolute authority.
“Listen to me,” he said, his dark eyes burning into mine with an intensity that made it difficult to breathe. “I brought you here because Julian was closing in on this safehouse. I couldn't leave you in Chicago while he was hunting for leverage against me. But I never meant for you to find out like this. I never meant to put you in the line of fire.”
“You lied to me,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “You let me stand outside this door thinking you were with another woman. You let me feel that agony, Nathaniel, just to keep your secrets safe.”
“Because your agony is temporary,” he snarled softly, his fingers tightening slightly on my arm. “Julian’s bullet is permanent.”
Before I could answer, a loud, concussive bang echoed through the hallway outside.
Glass shattered. Shouting erupted from the lobby downstairs, followed by the terrifying, unmistakable pop of a silenced gunshot near the service stairwell.
Nurse Hallowell gasped, scooping Elena up into her arms in a single, fluid motion and retreating toward the bathroom.
May you like
Nathaniel didn't hesitate. In a blur of motion, he drew a black 9mm Sig Sauer from a hidden shoulder holster beneath his shirt, pulling me behind his body as he raised the weapon toward the door.
“They found us,” Nathaniel whispered, his eyes fixed on the peephole. “Julian didn't just want to talk to you, Ava. He wanted to use you to open the door.”
