Chapter 3 - THE MEN IN HER OFFICEEmma reached her downtown office shortly before nine.
The door stood open.
She stopped.
Her desk had been overturned.
Monitors smashed.
Files emptied.
Even the sofa cushions had been cut open.
Nothing valuable appeared missing.
They were searching.
Emma backed toward the hallway.
A floorboard creaked behind her.
A gloved hand caught her coat.
She drove her elbow backward.
The man grunted.
Emma ran toward the stairwell.
Another figure appeared below.
Trapped.
Then the lights went out.
A gunshot cracked through the darkness.
Emma dropped.
Boots hammered against concrete.
Someone caught her wrist.
She fought blindly.
“Emma.”
She froze.
Emergency lights flickered on.
Matteo Romano stood between her and the stairwell.
His jacket was open.
Two security men rushed past him.
Emma stared.
“How did you know?”
“I had someone watching you.”
“You what?”
“I expected Bianca to react badly.”
“So naturally you had me followed?”
“You’re alive.”
“That does not make stalking romantic.”
Another gunshot sounded below.
Matteo’s attention moved to her torn sleeve.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“He touched you?”
“He grabbed my coat.”
Something in Matteo’s face became frighteningly still.
He turned toward the stairs.
Emma caught his arm.
“Don’t.”
He looked at her hand.
“Don’t what?”
“Whatever you’re thinking.”
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Matteo slowly relaxed.
It was the first instruction Emma gave him that he obeyed.
Not the last.
She was taken—under furious protest—to Matteo’s penthouse overlooking Lake Michigan.
“This place looks like a museum where affection was murdered.”
“You’ve been here six minutes.”
“And I’m already grieving.”
His security chief entered carrying Emma’s damaged work bag.
“Mr. Romano. We found something.”
He cut the lining.
A flash drive dropped onto the table.
Emma frowned.
“I’ve never seen that.”
“Where did you get the bag?” Matteo asked.
“My own broke during the banquet. Someone from accounting gave me this one from the equipment room.”
“Name?”
“Daniel. Thin. Glasses.”
The security chief went still.
“Daniel Vescari.”
Matteo looked at him.
“Missing thirty-six hours.”
The flash drive contained encrypted ledgers.
Millions in transfers.
Shell companies.
Voice recordings.
Photographs.
And two names that appeared repeatedly together.
Luca Romano.
Matteo’s cousin.
And—
Bianca Caruso.
Emma stared at the screen.
“The wrong bedroom didn’t put me in danger.”
“No,” Matteo said.
“The bag did.”
“Yes.”
“But now the whole city thinks I belong to you.”
May you like
Matteo looked at her.
“And whoever wants this drive knows exactly where to find you.”
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