Chapter 17 #2
Vincent planted a bomb at my house. Where my things were and where I used to sleep. Vincent really wasn't done.
Maya caught me at the elevator. "Everything okay?"
My phone buzzed with a text from Dez.
My Man, My Man, My Man
Security team is at the building. They'll do a full sweep. Also sending you paperwork for Maya to make it official, hire us as your security consultants. Need it to look legitimate.
How long will the sweep take?
Few hours. Stay at the penthouse. Order dinner. Relax. I'll be home soon and we'll figure out next steps.
Next steps meaning?
Meaning your uncle just graduated from business rival to legitimate threat. And I handle threats permanently.
I stared at that message for a long moment.
“Angelina?” Maya brought my attention back to her.
"No. But it will be." I hit the button for the lobby. "I need you to do something for me."
"Anything."
"A security firm is going to contact you named Moretti Security Solutions. They should be sending over paperwork as we speak. They're here to sweep the building for threats. Give them full access, whatever they need."
Her eyes widened. "Threats?"
"Vincent made some attempts at my house.
He might have done the same here." I stepped into the elevator.
"Also, I need you to schedule exit interviews for everyone Vincent hired in the past three years.
We're bringing in an outside firm to review them all. I know what we’ll find, so I want to jump on the paperwork now. "
"On it." She pulled out her phone. "Angelina? Are you safe?"
"Dez is handling it." The elevator doors started to close. "I'll call you later."
In the lobby, a man who could only be Matvey waited—tall, built like a tank, with the kind of alert awareness that screamed military training. I’d heard plenty about him, but never seen him. Dez always described him as a ‘big fucker’.
"Mrs. Moretti?" he said.
"That's me. You are?"
"Matvey. This way, please." He led me to a black SUV with tinted windows, opening the back door and waiting until I was inside before closing it and taking the driver's seat.
Immediately after he closed the door, sound disappeared as if the world outside didn’t exist.
Is this bulletproof?
We pulled into traffic and I finally let myself feel it.
The fear. The anger. The bone-deep exhaustion of fighting my uncle for months only to have him escalate to attempted murder.
Vincent had tried to kill me. Would have succeeded if Dez's people hadn't found the bomb first. And now Dez was going to handle it.
I texted him
My Man, My Man, My Man
Do what you need to do. Just come home safe.
Always. Love you.
Love you too.
I looked out the window as Seattle blurred past, thinking about how much my life had changed.
Three months ago, I'd been alone. Desperate.
Willing to auction myself off just for one night of escape.
Now I had a husband who called in bomb squads and hired security teams and made sure I was protected even when I didn't know I needed it.
I have a partner who doesn’t just support my fight, he’s beside me, loves me enough to do whatever it takes to keep me safe. Even if that meant crossing lines most people wouldn't.
The SUV pulled into the underground garage of our building. Matvey walked me up to the penthouse, did a security sweep, and positioned himself outside the door.
"Mr. Moretti will be here within the hour," he said. "Don't open the door for anyone but him. Not even me.”
"Understood." I nodded.
I locked the door behind me and stood in the middle of our living room, finally alone with my thoughts.
I'd known that the moment Dez showed me the embezzlement evidence that Vincent wouldn't go quietly.
Protecting myself meant being willing to destroy him first. I just hadn't expected it to escalate this fast.
My phone rang. Maya again.
"The security team is very thorough," she said, "and very intimidating."
"Good. Let them do their job."
"Also, the HR firm that's going to do exit interviews reached out. They start Monday.”
"Perfect. Make it as easy as possible for them to get started."
"Angelina? Are you okay? Really?"
I thought about that. About the bomb and the threats and the fact that my husband was somewhere in the city right now doing god-knows-what to make sure Vincent never threatened me again.
"I will be," I said. "Once this is all over."
"It will be. You're stronger than he ever was."
"Thanks, Maya."
I hung up and sank onto the couch, exhaustion finally catching up with me.
Yesterday, I'd been in Santorini, making love to my husband in paradise.
Enjoying this next chapter in my life. Tonight I was in Seattle, waiting to hear if my business was rigged with explosives.
But I'd won. Vincent was out. The company was mine.
And Dez was making sure he'd never be a threat again.
I just had to trust that my husband wouldn’t get carried away. And pray that when he came home, I'd still recognize the man I'd married.