Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT THE SAFE HOUSE BURNED
The fire began at 2:14 a.m.
Alina woke to the smell of smoke.
For one terrible second, she thought she was dreaming.
Then the alarm sounded.
She sat up.
“Dorian!”
He was already at the bedroom door.
“Get your shoes.”
“What happened?”
“Fire.”
He helped her into a coat.
Rafe appeared in the hallway.
“Service stairwell is clear.”
They moved quickly.
Alina's heart pounded.
Smoke curled beneath the ceiling.
Dorian kept one hand against her back.
Not pushing.
Steadying.
They reached the stairwell.
Then a sharp crash echoed from the apartment.
Glass breaking.
Dorian turned.
Rafe grabbed his arm.
“Boss, no.”
Dorian looked toward the smoke.
Then back at Alina.
For a moment, she saw the old Dorian.
The man who would have gone back to protect his property.
His empire.
His secrets.
Instead, he took her hand.
“Keep moving.”
They escaped through the service exit.
Firefighters arrived minutes later.
Alina stood beneath a streetlight, trembling.
Dorian wrapped his coat around her.
She looked at him.
“Was it an accident?”
His expression darkened.
“I don't know.”
But the investigation later found evidence that the fire had been deliberately started.
And Alina understood something.
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Someone wasn't simply trying to frighten them.
Someone wanted them gone.
