Chapter 10
Audra’s breath hitched in her throat. The imposing frame of the mafia boss filled her vision as he stepped closer. The warm golden light of the study caught the fine lines framing his perceptive eyes, revealing a depth of character she had never fully appreciated.
"What kind of change, Mr. Vale?" Audra asked, her heart racing.
"Would you prefer to assume the role of Willa’s personal governess, answering to no one in this house but me?" Keaton asked.
Audra stared at him, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the offer. A personal governess was a position of high respect and immense trust, offering a salary and security that far exceeded her role as a housemaid. It meant she would no longer be invisible; she would be a central figure in the life of the mafia boss's family.
"Are you serious, sir?" Audra asked, a radiant, beautiful smile breaking across her fair, rosy face.
"Have I ever joked about the welfare of my child?" Keaton asked, stopping just inches from her.
"I would be honored," Audra whispered.
"Will you trust me to keep you safe when the war begins tonight?" Keaton asked, his voice a low, gravelly promise.
"Always," Audra replied without hesitation.
Keaton raised his tattooed hand, his knuckles gently brushing against the soft curve of her jawline. It was a fleeting, electric touch that promised a future far more complicated than employer and employee.
Before either could speak again, the heavy oak doors of the study burst open. A mud-splattered security operative stumbled into the room, gasping for breath. It was Marcus, the lieutenant Keaton had sent to the graveyard.
"Is the mausoleum secured, Marcus?" Keaton asked, spinning around, his hand already reaching for the concealed weapon beneath his vest.
"Yes, Boss!" the operative choked out, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and awe. "We dug up the grave. The dirt was loose, like it had been disturbed recently."
"Did you open the coffin?" Keaton demanded, his deep voice cracking with a desperate intensity.
"We did, sir," Marcus panted, gripping the doorframe. "The wood on the inside of the lid... it was shredded. Covered in bloody scratch marks."
Audra gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. The nightmare was true. She had fought to get out.
"Did you find my wife's body?" Keaton asked, his entire frame rigid as he braced for the absolute worst.
Marcus looked directly at the mafia boss, shaking his head slowly.
"No, Mr. Vale," Marcus reported, his American accent trembling. "The coffin is completely empty. And the hinges on the inside of the crypt were broken from the inside out."
Keaton looked back at Audra, his cold, perceptive eyes burning with an unyielding, terrifying fire. The woman he loved had not suffocated in the dark. She had clawed her way out of a grave, and now, she was missing.
"Shall we find out exactly what kind of monster my wife became in the dark?" Keaton asked the quiet room, a lethal, proud smile finally touching his lips.
May you like
He racked the slide of his handgun with a sharp, metallic clatter as the estate's high-pitched security sirens began to wail in the distance, signaling the arrival of the Lane syndicate's retaliation. The war had officially arrived at their doorstep, but Keaton Vale was no longer just fighting for his territory. He was fighting to bring his wife home.
"Will you hold this door until I return?" Keaton asked Audra, stepping into the line of fire, ready to burn the world to ash.
