Chapter 2 - The Hotel Standoff

Nico didn’t hang up the phone.

He dropped it on the small mahogany side table. The screen shattered against the wood, but he didn’t glance at it.

The heavy, suffocating silence in the sitting room lasted for exactly one second.

Then, the man who controlled half of Chicago’s underworld moved.

He didn't run. He didn't shout.

The sudden, terrifying calmness about him was far worse.

"Mrs. Turner," Nico said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, gravelly whisper. "Lock the gates. Nobody enters or leaves this property without my direct permission."

"Yes, Mr. DeSantis." The housekeeper was already moving toward the security panel.

Nico turned to the door.

"Sir," I said, pushing myself up from the chair. My elbow screamed in protest, but I ignored it. "Let me come with you."

He stopped, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "You’re hurt, Hannah. Stay here."

"Ruby is terrified," I pleaded, grabbing my coat from the back of the door. "Her grandmother is panicking. If her birth father is there, and Brielle is yelling... Ruby will need someone to anchor her. Let me bring the quilt."

I pointed to the blue canvas bag sitting near the desk. The donation bag I had salvaged from the utility room.

Nico stared at me. He saw the swelling on my arm, the slight tremble in my hand, and the absolute refusal in my eyes to back down.

He nodded once. "Bring it."

The drive to the Drake Hotel took twelve minutes. Nico drove his black SUV like a man possessed, weaving through traffic with a cold, calculated precision.

When we reached the hotel, he didn't wait for the valet. He left the truck at the curb, the engine still running, and strode through the revolving glass doors.

I hurried behind him, clutching the blue canvas bag against my chest.

Room 412.

We didn't have to knock. The heavy oak door was slightly ajar, the sound of an argument spilling into the carpeted hallway.

"You have absolutely no right to be here, Marcus!" June's voice was shaking with fury.

"I have every right. I'm her biological father," a man replied smoothly. "And according to this paperwork, Nico's temporary guardianship is under review. Brielle was kind enough to let me know."

Nico pushed the door open.

It slammed against the wall with the sound of a gunshot.

Inside, the room froze.

June was standing in front of the bedroom door, shielding it with her body.

In the center of the suite stood a man in a cheap gray suit. Marcus. He had the same light brown hair as Ruby, but his eyes were entirely different. They were calculating. Greedy.

And standing right beside him, wearing her green silk dinner dress and a camel-hair coat, was Brielle.

Brielle gasped, taking a quick step away from Marcus. "Nico! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Nico said softly, stepping fully into the room. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

Brielle recovered quickly, smoothing her coat. "I came to drop off the rest of Ruby's things, darling. I wanted her to be comfortable. And when I got here, this man was harassing June. I was just trying to get him to leave."

"You're a liar," June spat, tears streaming down her face. "You walked in with him! You gave him the room number!"

Nico didn't look at his fiancée. He walked straight toward Marcus.

Marcus held his ground, though I saw the slight tremor in his hands. He held up a thick legal envelope.

"Back off, DeSantis," Marcus said, trying to sound brave. "I have a court summons. The adoption was finalized in a closed court. I'm petitioning to have it opened due to parental alienation. I have rights."

"You waived your rights eight years ago for fifty thousand dollars," Nico stated, his voice lethal. "You haven't seen her since she was an infant."

"People change. I want my daughter."

Nico stopped inches from Marcus’s face. "You want a payout."

"I want her to come with me tonight," Marcus said, gesturing to the large pink suitcase sitting near the door.

I looked at the suitcase. It wasn't the overnight bag I had packed for Ruby. It was her large trunk.

Brielle stepped forward, placing a gentle, pleading hand on Nico’s arm. "Nico, please don't make a scene. The press will find out. Maybe it's best if Ruby spends a few days with him while the lawyers sort this out. It would be less traumatic."

Nico looked down at her hand on his arm.

Then he looked at her face.

"How did he know she was at this hotel, Brielle?" Nico asked softly. "I booked this room under a shell corporation to protect June's privacy. Only three people in the world knew she was here."

Brielle swallowed hard. "I... I suppose he followed the driver."

"I didn't follow anyone," Marcus sneered. He reached into his jacket pocket. "Your lovely fiancée has been very helpful, Nico."

Marcus pulled something out and tossed it onto the glass coffee table.

It landed with a heavy, metallic clink.

My breath caught.