Chapter 3 - Gabriel instantly remembered the lavish catered lunches regularly delivered right to his office and the incredibly rich meals he ate daily while she tirelessly organized his complex business just outside his door.
He had literally never once bothered to ask whether she even ate anything.
He simply assumed his incredibly generous salary safely protected her from any real hardship.
Every single arrogant assumption he made had been completely wrong.
"Give her absolutely every single antibiotic currently available."
Gabriel’s deep voice remained entirely flat despite the violent trembling currently happening inside his large hands.
"If she desperately requires any fresh blood, just use mine."
He firmly looked toward Victor.
"I am a perfect O negative match."
The busy physician fully paused his active work.
The ruthless Gabriel Romano absolutely did not ever willingly bleed for simple employees.
He strictly made his foolish enemies heavily bleed.
Victor silently nodded completely without making a single comment.
"I will definitely stabilize her vitals."
He immediately returned his focus to the gaping wound.
"She desperately needs actual sleep, Gabriel; losing total consciousness from a high fever and severe blood loss is absolutely not real rest."
Someone suddenly knocked incredibly heavily directly on the bedroom door.
Liam stood nervously right in the entrance, carefully holding the encrypted hard drives and manila folders newly recovered from Garrison Street.
"Just place all of them right in my study."
Liam nervously looked past him toward the unconscious Norah.
"The secure telephones are completely overwhelmed with incoming calls."
He awkwardly adjusted the thick files in his arms.
"Sloan’s powerful father just officially landed his jet at the private airstrip."
Liam bravely continued with his urgent report.
"Your uncle Carlo is aggressively demanding to know exactly why security abruptly canceled the rehearsal dinner, and he strongly wants to meet."
Gabriel slowly looked completely away from the bloody bed.
His immense guilt and sudden recognition rapidly crystallized entirely into highly controlled, lethal rage.
"Tell Carlo that I will gladly see him."
His voice became terrifyingly quiet once again.
"Tell him to come directly here to the estate."
The dark study deeply smelled of fresh rain, aged leather, and sharp gun oil.
At exactly 3:00 a.m., Gabriel sat silently behind the massive mahogany desk with his heavy Glock fully disassembled right before him.
He meticulously cleaned the internal firing mechanisms with incredibly repetitive, cold precision.
The small encrypted drives formed a neat stack right beside his resting arm.
They fully contained the absolute proof of his planned assassination destruction, but Norah had safely protected them with a complex algorithm he simply could not break.
Every single standard access code had completely failed him.
The sprawling estate was totally silent except for the rhythmic ticking of the antique grandfather clock located inside the grand foyer.
Gabriel flawlessly reassembled the Glock pistol and aggressively pulled the metal slide firmly backward.
The distinct, sharp metallic sound struck violently right through the quiet room.
He smoothly placed the loaded weapon safely inside his leather shoulder holster.
Right then, he clearly heard something heavily dragging straight across the hardwood floor.
It was definitely not the heavy, booted movement of a patrol guard.
It was actually soft fabric brushing directly against the polished floor.
Gabriel abruptly opened the heavy study door.
Norah leaned heavily against the guest-room doorframe at the far end of the long corridor.
She looked almost entirely transparent.
Victor had carefully dressed her in one of Gabriel’s oversized black dress shirts after fully cleaning her wounds.
It reached all the way down to the middle of her thighs and hung loosely from her incredibly thin body.
Her left leg was heavily bandaged and firmly secured within a rigid medical brace.
Norah actively used the metal IV pole as a makeshift crutch.
Her pale face remained covered with severe dark bruising.
Damp, dark hair rested tiredly against her neck.
Her dark eyes, however, were completely and sharply awake.
"Return to bed immediately."
Gabriel’s low, commanding voice traveled sharply along the quiet corridor.
Norah completely ignored him.
She had never actually, truly obeyed his commands.
She simply managed his strict instructions in clever ways that allowed Gabriel to falsely imagine he had total control.
Norah took a painful step forward and heavily dragged the braced leg behind her.
The small plastic IV wheels squeaked loudly on the hardwood floor.
Gabriel rapidly crossed the long hallway in exactly five long strides.
He stopped directly in front of her trembling frame.
His large hands hovered uselessly in the air because he simply did not know where he could safely touch her without causing immense pain.
"You are actively bleeding right through the dressing."
"I heard several vehicles."
Her dry voice was entirely ruined by severe dehydration.
"I heard gravel crunching outside."
"Liam is currently moving our armed guards from the harbor directly to the estate perimeter."
Gabriel pointedly indicated the guest bedroom.
"Return to your bed."
"You cannot possibly read those encrypted drives."
Norah heavily used the metal pole to physically support herself.
"You simply do not possess the digital key."
Her bruised face slowly lifted toward his.
"You are currently operating entirely without vital information."
"I can easily address my treacherous uncle and the Kensingtons completely without a spreadsheet."
"No, you absolutely cannot."
Sharp irritation briefly cut right through her profound exhaustion.
"Carlo definitely did much more than simply transfer the fake caterer’s payment."
Norah’s chest rose and fell heavily as she breathed.
"He willingly gave them the exact floor plan for your South Armory."
Her pale hands tightened their grip on the metal pole.
"He also gave them the precise rotation schedule for your entire personal security detail."
She became even paler in the dim lighting.
"If you blindly begin a war without knowing exactly what intel he provided, your men will definitely be killed."
Norah dangerously swayed on her feet.
Gabriel instantly caught her securely around the waist.
His large hand spread wide across the black shirt and firmly pulled her directly against his solid chest.
She inhaled very sharply and tightly gripped his muscular forearms.
Neither of them moved a single inch.
For four long years, they had strictly maintained a very professional distance and rarely ever touched.
Now Norah literally burned with a raging fever right against his body.
Her racing heart moved incredibly rapidly right near his ribs.
She felt impossibly tiny while carrying the exact information critically required to preserve his entire criminal organization.
"Please release me."
She stubbornly looked down at the floor and fully refused to meet his intense eyes.
"You are absolutely going to fall."
"I am walking to the study."
Her raspy voice held a distinct note of defensive panic.
"I desperately need the computer."
"You desperately need a real hospital."
Gabriel gently adjusted his strong grip and fully prepared to carry her back to bed.
Her sharp nails pressed deeply into his arms.
"Gabriel, please listen."
That single word instantly stopped him in his tracks.
Norah absolutely never pleaded.
She flawlessly organized, effectively executed, and coldly informed.
She definitely did not beg for things.
Gabriel quietly examined her damaged face.
Genuine fear fully occupied her dark eyes.
It was definitely not a fear of Sloan or the rival Kensingtons.
It was the absolute terror of somehow being useless to him.
Norah had literally starved herself and lived in absolute poverty just to stubbornly prove she required no outside assistance.
Complete helplessness frightened her far more than actual physical violence ever could.
Gabriel gradually removed his warm hand from her waist but protectively kept both arms very near her.
"You have exactly one hour."
His deep voice became incredibly rough.
"You will provide the encryption keys and show me all the illicit transactions."
He intensely held her dark gaze.
"Then I will personally sedate you myself."
A highly damaged, exhausted smile slowly appeared.
"Agreed."
The massive leather desk chair nearly entirely concealed Norah.
Gabriel carefully moved it directly to the front of the desk just so she would not need to travel the additional five feet.
He gently placed her heavily injured leg extremely carefully onto a padded wooden stool.
Norah completely ignored his tender attention and immediately pulled the silver laptop closer to her.
Her fingers moved incredibly quickly despite the raging fever and the heavy pain medication.
The rapid motion was visibly unsteady, but years of ingrained muscle memory clearly remained intact.
Gabriel stood silently right behind the chair with both of his large hands resting on its high back.
Rapid lines of code moved wildly across the bright screen while Norah seamlessly passed right through the very first layer of digital security.
"You are violently shaking."
"It is just severe caffeine withdrawal."
The obvious lie came directly through her loudly chattering teeth.
Gabriel walked over to the office bar and poured a generous measure of aged whiskey into a heavy crystal glass.
He deliberately placed it right near the laptop's trackpad.
"Drink this."
He pointedly looked down toward her trembling hands.
"It may quickly reduce the severe chill."
Norah examined the amber liquor highly suspiciously before swallowing it completely in one rapid movement.
She violently coughed.
The strong whiskey struck her entirely empty stomach and painfully twisted her expression.
However, a very faint amount of healthy color rapidly returned to her pale face.
"Is that an improvement?"
"It is absolutely disgusting."
Her focused attention immediately returned directly to the glowing screen.
"I am fully inside the system."
A highly complex, heavily indexed spreadsheet instantly appeared.
It was literally a detailed digital map of Gabriel’s planned destruction.
"Filter it for the most recent thirty days."
Gabriel leaned in closer until his broad chest almost directly touched the back of the leather chair.
The massive list rapidly shortened.
"Carlo personally initiated seven separate transfers directly from the specific shell company used for our port tariffs."
Norah weakly indicated the highlighted figures on the screen.
"The monetary amounts were purposely small enough to entirely avoid internal detection."
Her pale finger slowly moved toward the complex routing information.
"Those are Cayman accounts," Gabriel said grimly.
"Sloan’s arrogant father highly prefers that specific offshore bank."
"That is correct."
Norah quickly opened a hidden email attachment.
"It is definitely not simply about the money."
A highly detailed architectural blueprint totally filled the laptop screen.
It clearly showed the main Romano shipping warehouse located at Pier 4.
Bright red marks precisely identified all structural weak points, security camera blind spots, and the main electrical breaker panel.
"That specific warehouse currently contains all the newly imported Irish munitions."
Gabriel’s deep voice became significantly colder.
"If those highly volatile weapons detonate, three entire city blocks will completely disappear."
His dark eyes dangerously narrowed.
"The local police will instantly accuse my organization of domestic terrorism."
"They are absolutely not planning to detonate them."
Norah efficiently opened another securely intercepted text message.
"They fully intend to steal all the weapons for themselves."
The highly encrypted text rapidly appeared in a completely readable format.
"Sloan’s greedy father desperately wants the heavy munitions for his armed takeover force."
She carefully looked right at the digital timestamp.
"Their theft operation officially begins at exactly 4:00 a.m."
Gabriel quickly checked the antique grandfather clock.
It was currently 3:15 a.m.
"Your uncle Carlo directly commands the assault team."
Norah’s raspy voice softened considerably.
"He just confirmed directly to Sloan’s father that he actively possesses the main gate codes."
The resulting silence inside the room became incredibly dense.
Gabriel just stared blankly at his traitorous uncle’s name on the bright screen.
Carlo had personally taught him exactly how to use a firearm as a boy.
Carlo had stood proudly at his father’s funeral and loudly pledged eternal loyalty to the Romano family.
Gabriel absolutely did not shout out loud or violently break anything in the room.
He deeply inhaled the rain-scented air and released it incredibly slowly.
"He is currently going down to Pier 4."
"He is actually already there."
Norah exhausted settled backward into the leather chair.
The frantic adrenaline completely left her system immediately, and her heavy eyes rapidly began closing.
"He is impatiently waiting for the Kensington transport vehicles to arrive."
"Liam."
Gabriel did not even need to raise his deep voice.
The heavy study door opened at once.
Liam stood ready in the doorway with a loaded tactical shotgun held diagonally across his chest.
"Immediately prepare the primary armory team."
Gabriel slowly stepped away from Norah's chair.
"We use suppressed weapons only, and absolutely no explosives."
His handsome face contained absolutely zero visible emotion.
"We are going down to the docks incredibly quietly."
He pointed a long finger toward the exterior corridor.
"Leave exactly two men stationed at the estate perimeter, and ensure no one enters."
Liam firmly nodded and instantly disappeared down the hall.
Gabriel smoothly opened the bottom desk drawer and removed a highly compact SIG Sauer pistol.
He quickly checked the full magazine, inserted it firmly, and aggressively pulled the slide back.
The loaded pistol went directly onto the mahogany desk right beside Norah’s totally empty whiskey glass.
"I honestly do not know how to shoot a gun."
Norah stared blankly at the lethal weapon.
"You just aim the barrel directly toward the door."
Gabriel deliberately moved right in front of her.
"If absolutely anyone except me enters this room, you pull that trigger until the weapon stops firing."
His scarred knuckles passed incredibly gently across her heavily bruised cheek.
Her pale skin still remained dangerously hot to the touch.
"Securely lock the deadbolt after I leave."
He stood up to his full height.
"Do not open it for anyone."
Norah quickly looked up at him.
The highly detached, completely professional assistant had entirely disappeared.
The real woman hidden beneath it was highly frightened and completely present in the moment.
"Gabriel, wait."
He paused right near the brass door handle.
"Please do not make me plan your funeral."
Her raspy voice shook with genuine emotion.
A highly genuine but incredibly dark smile slowly appeared on his handsome face.
"I already canceled the massive wedding."
Gabriel finally opened the heavy door.
"I certainly will not cruelly force you to arrange a funeral as well."
He stepped out into the quiet corridor.
The heavy metal deadbolt clicked loudly into place right behind him.
Gabriel descended the grand stairs while the cold logic of the coming violence fully occupied his mind.
The foolish Kensington family actually believed they were simply completing a quiet, corporate business merger.
They had violently awakened the sleeping monster instead.
Pier 4 smelled strongly of spilled diesel fuel, wet rust, and rotting ocean seaweed.
A freezing winter drizzle fully covered the concrete pavement with a highly slick surface.
Gabriel quietly left the black SUV completely without slamming his door.
Liam moved closely beside him with a suppressed tactical shotgun held lowered right before his body.
Six armed men silently appeared right from between the massive stacked shipping containers.
They all wore pitch black, and the high collars of their wet jackets entirely concealed their faces.
Absolutely no one spoke a word.
They had all meticulously studied Norah’s provided blueprint.
They perfectly understood each camera blind spot and tactical approach.
"There are three heavy vehicles approaching on the southern access road."
Liam carefully adjusted his secure tactical earpiece.
"The vehicle suspensions are definitely heavy-duty."
He closely watched the rainy darkness.
"They are currently empty and fully prepared to receive heavy cargo."
"Immediately remove all power from the main halogen towers."
Gabriel’s cold voice totally lacked any human emotion.
"The exact moment the vehicles stop moving, we move in."
His dark gaze shifted directly toward the large warehouse.
"Leave absolutely no Kensington survivors, and ensure complete darkness."
The main electrical breaker closed shut with a loud metallic sound.
Every single bright security light instantly died.
The massive pier instantly became aggressively, terrifyingly black.
Only the very distant, dim orange city glow softly reflected from the low storm clouds overhead.
Gabriel smoothly drew his own SIG Sauer pistol.
Its lethal metal felt incredibly cold resting in his palm.
He silently entered the extremely narrow passage located between two massive red and blue shipping containers.
The heavy diesel engines of the rapidly approaching Kensington vehicles finally became fully audible.
Their front headlights were completely turned off.
They smoothly moved with the absolute confidence of greedy people who firmly believed the locked gate already entirely belonged to them.
The three trucks abruptly stopped right before Warehouse 7.
The massive metal roll-up door already stood wide open.
Carlo Romano impatiently waited just inside the dark entrance directly beneath a single, harsh tactical light.
Gabriel completely stopped directly beneath a towering rusted crane approximately thirty feet away.
His treacherous uncle slowly removed a polished silver flask, opened the top, and drank deeply.
Carlo appeared to be incredibly relaxed.
He completely looked like a highly satisfied man who had just successfully ensured his own wealthy retirement.
Three heavily armed Kensington enforcers confidently left the lead transport vehicle.
They openly carried heavy unsuppressed rifles and moved incredibly carelessly.
"Do you have the security codes for the internal vault?"
The lead man’s arrogant voice easily traveled across the dark water.
"They are actually already entered into the system."
Carlo casually wiped his wet mouth with his sleeve.
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"Just move quickly; Gabriel is highly occupied desperately dealing with his little missing assistant."
He smiled cruelly.
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