Chapter 5 - The Safe House on the Lake
The black SUV drove through the iron gates of an estate tucked away in the northern suburbs of Winnetka, far from the gritty, neon-lit alleys of the south side.
Elena sat in the back seat, staring out the tinted windows at the sprawling stone mansion surrounded by towering pines and the grey, churning waters of the lake. Her duffel bag sat on the floorboards between her feet—her entire worldly possessions reduced to two changes of clothes, a worn copy of a medical journal, and the iron skillet she had refused to leave behind.
Dante Marchetti sat across from her, his expression neutral as he poured a glass of scotch from a crystal decanter built into the console.
"Your detective friend is thorough," Dante said, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Sarah Lin has been a thorn in my side for three years. Smart, incorruptible, and entirely too curious about my shipping manifests."
"She saved my life," Elena said sharply, not looking at him. "She gave me a choice: run again, or let you hide me."
"And you chose the monster you know," Dante replied with a faint, humorless smirk.
"I chose the man whose dog I saved," Elena corrected, turning her head to meet his dark, unblinking gaze. "Don't flatter yourself, Marchetti. I'm here because the Rossis have a bounty on my head, and your security detail is better than a dumpster behind a laundromat."
The SUV pulled to a smooth stop beneath the grand stone portico. The doors opened automatically, and Sal—the thick-necked lieutenant from the restaurant—was already standing there to hold the door, his demeanor markedly different today. He didn't glare; he nodded with a stiff, respectful dip of his chin.
As Elena stepped out of the car, a low, familiar woof echoed from the glass-enclosed veranda.
May you like
A massive black Cane Corso came trotting across the polished stone floor, his left shoulder heavily bandaged, his tail wagging with clumsy, joyous enthusiasm. Brutus stopped right in front of Elena, gave an appreciative huff, and gently nudged his wet nose against her knee.
Elena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She knelt down, burying her fingers in the thick fur around his neck, and for the first time in three years, the knot in her chest loosened just a fraction.
