Chapter 8 - Dawn on the EstateThe sun rose over the dense evergreen forests of Chicago on Friday morning, casting a golden, amber glow across the polished hardwood floors of the master suite. The air outside was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of pine and approaching autumn.
Inside the bedroom, the heavy velvet blinds were pulled wide open, flooding the space with warm, natural sunlight.
I stood by the bedside, checking Liam’s vitals one last time. His fever had broken completely overnight. The infection in his abdomen was under control, and though his right leg was still weeks away from true recovery, the external fixator pins were clean, dry, and stable.
He looked entirely different from the broken, violent man I had met less than a week ago.
“Well,” I said, snapping my medical bag shut with a definitive click. “Your lungs are clear, your wounds are healing, and you’re stubborn enough to outlive us all. My work here is officially done.”
Liam sat up against the propped pillows, dressed in a clean black shirt, looking every bit the formidable crime boss once more—except for the way his gaze lingered intently on my face.
There was a heavy knock at the door, and Leo stepped into the room. In his hands, he held a thick, crisp manila envelope bulging with banded stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
Leo walked over and placed the envelope gently on the bedside table.
“Ten thousand,” Leo said, nodding respectfully toward me. “Plus a little extra for hazard pay regarding Marcus and his friends.”
I stared at the envelope. For five days, that money had been the only thing in my universe. It meant life for Tommy. It meant hope where there was only despair. Now that it was finally here, sitting inches from my hand, a strange, heavy lump formed in my throat.
I reached out, picked up the envelope, and slid it securely into the bottom of my duffel bag.
“Thank you, Leo,” I said softly. Then I looked at Liam. “And thank you for not bleeding out on my watch.”
Liam’s lips curved into a slow, genuine smile. “The black town car is waiting downstairs to take you straight to the children’s hospital in the city. The driver has strict instructions not to stop for anyone.”
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“Good,” I said, slinging my duffel bag over my shoulder. I turned toward the door, my heart doing a strange, unwanted flip. I paused, looking back at him one last time. “Goodbye, Liam.”
“It’s not goodbye, nurse,” Liam said quietly, his icy blue eyes burning with an undeniable promise. “Not by a long shot.”
