Chapter 5 - The Retaliation
Lucas stood on the cracked pavement of the alley, the silver USB drive suddenly feeling like a burning coal in his hand. His guards shifted uncomfortably behind him, watching their boss lose his composure in real time.
"You think you’re smart, Audrey?" Lucas hissed, his voice dropping into that familiar, quiet register he used right before he struck her behind closed doors. "You think Vance is going to save you? He uses women like napkins. When he’s done with your little architectural tricks, he’ll discard you. And who will take you back then? Your mother won't even answer your calls."
"I won't need anyone to take me back," Audrey said.
Daniel moved then, stepping forward until he was six inches from Lucas. The height advantage, combined with the sheer, unyielding presence Daniel carried, forced Lucas to step back against the brick wall.
"Listen to me carefully, Sterling," Daniel said, his voice quiet, almost conversational, but vibrating with lethal intent. "If you ever speak to her again, if you ever appear within five hundred yards of her, I won't just ruin your company. I will personally buy your family's debt, foreclose on your penthouse, and leave you on the curb with nothing but that suit you're wearing. Get out of my sight."
Lucas swallowed hard, his throat dry. He looked past Daniel to Audrey, his eyes full of promised retribution. "This isn't over."
"It is for you," Daniel said.
Lucas turned and stormed toward his black town car, barking orders at his driver. The car peeled out of the alley, tires screeching against the wet asphalt.
When the alley fell silent again, Audrey’s knees finally buckled.
She didn't fall. Daniel’s arm shot out, catching her around the waist, pulling her against his broad, solid chest. The warmth of him, the scent of expensive cedar and rain, surrounded her. She leaned into him for just a fraction of a second, letting her forehead rest against his shoulder, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps.
"You were incredible," Daniel murmured near her ear.
"I was terrified," she confessed, her voice muffled against his lapel.
"Courage isn't the absence of fear, Audrey. It's looking a monster in the eye and telling him his teeth are dull." He gently guided her back toward the Suburban. "Come. The real drive is in the safe deposit box at JP Morgan, isn't it?"
She pulled back slightly, looking up at him in surprise. "How did you know?"
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"Your father was a paranoid genius," Daniel said, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "He never kept master copies in an unmonitored warehouse. Now let’s go secure your legacy."
***
