Chapter 6 - The Cleansing FireWithin three minutes, the library was swarming with armed security personnel.
Victor, nursing a bruised throat but otherwise standing tall, had dragged the tied-up intruder out toward the basement holding cells, while two cleaners meticulously wiped down the stone patio and swept away any trace of the intrusion.
I sat back down in the velvet armchair by the fireplace, wrapped in a warm woolen blanket Mrs. Gable had silently draped over my shoulders, holding a fresh glass of water that my shaking hands could barely keep steady.
Daniel stood in front of me, crouching down so his eyes were level with mine. His hands were resting gently on my knees, checking me over for any hidden injuries.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly—the only sign of the sheer terror he must have felt when he walked in and saw a gunman cornering the woman he had just begun to let into his world.
“I’m fine,” I breathed out, taking a sip of water. “Just... a little shaken. I dropped a paperweight. It was remarkably ungraceful.”
A shaky, breathless laugh escaped Daniel’s lips. He reached up, his fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from my forehead.
“You faced down a professional hitman from the Russian bratva with a fireplace poker, Emily,” he said, his voice thick with a mixture of awe and fierce protectiveness. “Grace has nothing to do with it. You are, without a doubt, the most dangerous woman I have ever met.”
“I’m just a bookstore employee,” I protested weakly, though a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
“You were a bookstore employee,” Daniel corrected softly. “Tonight, you proved you’re a survivor. And more importantly, you proved you’re someone who stands by her man when the walls come down.”
The intimacy of his words hung in the air, wrapping around us like a warm embrace. The danger outside, the chaotic blind date, the disastrous relationship with Jason—all of it felt like a lifetime away, washed clean by the rain and the fire.
“What happens now?” I asked quietly.
May you like
Daniel stood up, offering me his hand once more. This time, I took it without a single second of hesitation, letting him pull me up against his solid chest.
“Now,” Daniel said, his eyes gleaming with quiet, absolute determination as he looked down into my face, “the men who thought they could threaten my home learn what happens when you disturb my peace. And as for us... well, I believe our blind date is technically still in progress, and we haven't even gotten to dessert yet.”
