Chapter 11 - The Safehouse in Savannah’s Crosshairs
Hours later,
deep in the heavily forested foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
the SUV pulled into the reinforced gates of a secluded stone lodge.
The estate was completely hidden from the main highway,
surrounded by towering iron fencing,
security cameras,
and armed guards loyal exclusively to Declan.
I sat in the passenger seat,
shivering violently from the cold rain,
wrapping my arms tightly around my trembling body.
Declan sat beside me in the back seat,
his shoulders bruised and his coat torn from the intense firefight,
but his dark eyes never left my face.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked quietly,
reaching out to tuck a damp strand of hair behind my ear with infinite care.
“I’m fine,
” I whispered,
pulling away slightly,
though the lingering terror still gripped my chest like a vise.
“You lied to me back at the attic,
Declan.
You said you were right behind me.
” “If I didn’t push you out that window,
the Calloways would have trapped us both,
” he replied steadily,
his voice calm and unyielding.
“And our baby would have been caught in the crossfire of their bullets.
I would rather take a thousand bullets than let anything happen to either of you.
” We stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the grand stone lodge,
where a roaring fireplace warmed the cavernous living room.
Gavin immediately set to work locking down the estate’s security protocols,
communicating with loyal captains back in Chicago via encrypted channels.
“The Calloways know we’re in North Carolina now,
” Gavin reported,
walking over with a secure satellite tablet in hand.
“Savannah took public control of her father’s syndicate yesterday afternoon.
She issued a hit order on both of us,
offering a ten-million-dollar bounty for anyone who brings back the restoration girl and the heir.
” Hours later,
deep in the heavily forested foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
the SUV pulled into the reinforced gates of a secluded stone lodge.
The estate was completely hidden from the main highway,
surrounded by towering iron fencing,
security cameras,
and armed guards loyal exclusively to Declan.
I sat in the passenger seat,
shivering violently from the cold rain,
wrapping my arms tightly around my trembling body.
Declan sat beside me in the back seat,
his shoulders bruised and his coat torn from the intense firefight,
but his dark eyes never left my face.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked quietly,
reaching out to tuck a damp strand of hair behind my ear with infinite care.
“I’m fine,
” I whispered,
pulling away slightly,
though the lingering terror still gripped my chest like a vise.
“You lied to me back at the attic,
Declan.
You said you were right behind me.
” “If I didn’t push you out that window,
the Calloways would have trapped us both,
” he replied steadily,
his voice calm and unyielding.
“And our baby would have been caught in the crossfire of their bullets.
I would rather take a thousand bullets than let anything happen to either of you.
” We stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the grand stone lodge,
where a roaring fireplace warmed the cavernous living room.
Gavin immediately set to work locking down the estate’s security protocols,
communicating with loyal captains back in Chicago via encrypted channels.
“The Calloways know we’re in North Carolina now,
” Gavin reported,
walking over with a secure satellite tablet in hand.
“Savannah took public control of her father’s syndicate yesterday afternoon.
She issued a hit order on both of us,
May you like
offering a ten-million-dollar bounty for anyone who brings back the restoration girl and the heir.
”
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