Chapter 4 - The Price of Protection
The warehouse was a cavernous space of rusted metal and the smell of stagnant water.
Daniel was tied to a chair in the center of the room,
his face a map of bruises and blood,
sobbing like a child.
Three men stood over him,
holding lengths of pipe and looking bored,
until the doors groaned open.
Roman walked in first,
his presence turning the room into a freezer,
his hand still firmly holding mine.
The men in the warehouse froze,
their eyes widening as they recognized the king of the city standing in their territory.
“Gallagher,”
one of them spat,
though his voice lacked conviction.
“This pathetic worm belongs to us.”
“He owes us fifty grand,
and he’s been talking to the feds.”
Roman didn't stop walking until he was standing right in front of the chair.
Daniel looked up,
his eyes widening as he saw me standing beside Roman.
“Elena!”
he screamed,
“Tell them!
Tell them I didn't do anything!”
“Save me,
baby!”
The word ‘baby’ felt like a slap in the face,
hollow and manipulative,
a stark contrast to the way Roman had said it.
Roman looked at Daniel with a disgust so profound it was almost beautiful.
“He’s calling for you,
Elena,”
Roman said,
his voice smooth and dangerous.
“The man who let you work yourself to the bone while he wasted your life.”
“Do you want me to save him?”
I looked at Daniel,
really looked at him,
and I felt nothing.
No love,
no pity,
only the exhaustion of a thousand nights spent worrying about a man who wouldn't lift a finger for me.
“He’s not my responsibility anymore,”
I said,
my voice echoing off the corrugated metal walls.
The Moretti men looked confused,
shifting their weight as they waited for a signal.
Roman stepped closer to the lead gunman,
ignoring the weapon in the man’s hand as if it were a toy.
“The debt is paid,”
Roman said,
dropping a heavy bag of cash on the floor.
“But if I ever see him in this city again,
if he even breathes the same air as this woman,
I will burn your entire organization to the ground.”
“Do you understand?”
The man nodded quickly,
the fear radiating off him in waves.
Roman turned to me,
ignoring Daniel’s pathetic pleas as the guards began to untie him.
“He’s free to go,
Elena.”
“But he’s going to a bus station,
and he’s never coming back.”
“Is that enough?”
I looked at the man who had just dismantled my past with a few words and a bag of money.
“Yes,”
I said,
“it’s more than enough.”
As we walked out of the warehouse,
leaving the sounds of Daniel’s weeping behind,
the sun was beginning to set over the city.
Roman stopped by the car,
turning me to face him,
the light of the sunset reflecting in his silver eyes.
“You’re free now,
little bird,”
he said,
his voice softening.
“But freedom is a lonely thing.”
“Stay with me,
and you’ll never have to work a double shift again.”
“You’ll never have to worry about the rent.”
“But you’ll belong to me.”
I looked at the city,
then back at the man who was both my savior and my captor.
“I think I’ve always belonged to the dark,
Roman,”
I said,
reaching up to touch his face.
He leaned into my hand,
a small,
genuine smile breaking through his mask.
“Good,”
May you like
he whispered,
“because the dark has been waiting for you.”
