Chapter 9 - The Safe HouseThe ride away from the Cole Estate was completely silent.
I lay on my side on a padded leather gurney inside the custom-built medical SUV, wrapped in warm sterile sheets. Dr. Rossi, a trusted family physician who had known my brothers for twenty years, worked quickly and silently, applying a cooling antiseptic salve to the raw, torn skin on my back before dressing the wounds in soft gauze.
"The skin is badly inflamed, Elena," Dr. Rossi said softly, adjusting an IV line of saline and pain medication into the back of my hand. "He used heavy leather. But there will be no permanent muscle damage, and with proper care, the scarring will be minimal."
"Thank you, Doctor," I murmured, closing my eyes as the warm wave of pain relief washed over my body.
Up front, Dominic sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the rain-slicked highway ahead, while Matteo drove the heavy vehicle through the stormy night.
"Where are we going?" I asked softly.
"The lake house in Highpoint," Dominic answered without turning around. "It’s completely off the grid. No press, no legal summons, no uninvited guests. You're going to rest for two weeks while Luca and Gabriel finish the liquidation."
My phone, resting on the small tray beside my gurney, suddenly began to vibrate incessantly.
I glanced at the screen.
Adrian (14 Missed Calls)
Text Message: Elena please call me back. The bank just froze our personal accounts. My father had a chest pain. Please tell your brothers to stop this!
May you like
I stared at the glowing screen for a moment. Then, without a word, I reached out, swiped the power button, and shut the phone off completely.
Matteo caught my eye in the rearview mirror, a slow, dark smile spreading across his sharp jawline. "Good girl," he said softly.
