Chapter 3 - The Threat at the DocksTwo days after the gala, the fragile truce between them was shattered by violence.
It was 3:00 AM when the private security alarms chimed softly through the master suite. Elena woke instantly, sitting up in the empty bed of her room. Through the connecting door, which had been left unlatched for the first time since their wedding night, she heard muffled shouting.
She slipped out of bed, pulling a silk robe around her shoulders, and crept toward Roman’s study.
The door was ajar. Inside, Roman stood near his mahogany desk, blood dripping from a split knuckle on his right hand, his tuxedo jacket discarded. Two of his chief security directors stood before him, looking grim.
"They hit the Port Newark shipping terminal twenty minutes ago, Mr. Blackwell," one guard reported. "Vance’s men. They intercepted the European electronics container. Security held, but they left a message."
Roman slammed his fist onto the desk, ignoring the fresh blood. "What kind of message?"
The guard hesitated, laying a photograph on the blotter. "They tagged the container with your personal seal... and a note addressed to Mrs. Blackwell."
Elena didn't wait. She pushed the study door open wide and stepped into the room.
Roman spun around, his eyes widening in fury. "Get back to your room, Elena! What are you doing out of bed?"
"They're coming after me because of what Vance said at the museum, aren't they?" Elena walked straight to the desk, her eyes fixed on the photograph. On the metal container wall, spray-painted in bright red, were the words: THE BRIDE BELONGS TO US NOW.
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Roman crossed the room in two strides, grabbing her by the shoulders, his face pale with a terrifying, unmasked panic. "You were never supposed to be part of this war. This is why I kept you at a distance! This is why you don't belong in my office!"
"Too late, Roman," Elena said, her voice entirely steady as she looked up into his desperate blue eyes. "You put a ring on my finger and brought me into your fortress. You don't get to shut me out now that the walls are shaking."
