Unlawful bonds

CHLOE The laptop illuminated the otherwise pitch-black room and my face with a sick, flickering, blue light. Three hundred million dollars. I’d been staring at a cell in a spreadsheet. This cell had been rapidly jumping across several accounts that appeared to be related to some shell companies under a nonexistent person. For the past six months, I was auditing Vanguard Financial’s luxury real estate. Well, so I thought. Encrypted documents had given the game away, and it wasn’t real estate. It was money used by political bribe syndicates. Dirty blood money, a hell of a lot of it, enough to probably buy off half the country. My finger was an inch away from sending it all to the task force to fight corruption. Doing so would turn me into an overnight hero. The downside, however, would be my becoming a target for assassination. Click. The rain outside hammered against the window pane and did a good job of muffling the sound, though it still cut through the quiet in the living room and sounded almost as loud as a gunshot. It was most certainly not the wind. A master lockpick tool easily entered and was turned in the lock of the door. A rush of ice filled me, and the blood drained from my face and body. I quickly scrambled backward from the chair, where my knees struck the edge of the dining room table. A whole pile of audit papers was knocked across the floor. I lunged and rolled on the floor until I was crouched and hiding under the shadows of the counter in the kitchen. Just as I got under the counter, the front door swung inward and made a sickeningly soft sound. Steps. Heavy, professional steps. And silent. Very silent. I was behind the counter, gripping a heavy mug, and braced for what would happen. I gripped its handle until my knuckles turned stark white. My heart hammered so violently against my ribs I was certain whoever had just entered could hear it echo across the room. A long figure emerged from the shadow of the hallway, illuminated by the low blue light in the living room. He bypassed the rooms to get to my dining room and walked straight to my table, knowing exactly where all the documents were. Even in the low light, he was an imposing presence in the space. He wore a dark suit covered by a charcoal gray overcoat, also dark, tailored, and fitted. He calmly examined the decrypted Blackwood files displayed on the laptop in front of him. “You’ve got a real disorganized filing system, Miss Bennett,” a voice called out in the shadows. It was low, quiet, and possessed an unsettling authority that sent shivers down my spine. I was paralyzed and holding my breath. “I know you’re behind the kitchen island,” the man said smoothly as his boots continued to click softly against the floor. “I’m assuming the breadcrumbs of money you laid for blind men to see was intended to hide your trail of scattered papers.” Kellan Cross. Every reporter, accountant, and underworld informant in the city knew of the legendary Kellan Cross. He led the Cross Syndicate and was the only man to have any sort of rivalry with the Blackwood dynasty and live to tell about it. Recognizing the futility of hiding, I stood and took hold of my mug. The mixture of terror and white hot adrenaline took control of my nerves as my body shuddered, forcing me to tightly hold my mug to steady myself. "If you're going to kill me for those files, then just do it," I said. "Quit dragging it out." He slowly turned to face me and the blue lighting highlighted his very sharp features and short hair. Kellan looked like a model with cold, piercing grey eyes and he was giving me the stare down of a lifetime. Kellan took a very slow, very intentional step towards the kitchen island while keeping his gaze locked on my very tense body. "Kill you?" Kellan asked and he gave a very dark, dangerous half smile. "That would be a waste of a really good forensic accountant, especially when Blackwood's cleanup crew just got off the elevator downstairs." I felt my stomach sink as low as possible. "What?" "They know you pulled the encrypted ledgers," Kellan growled, while closing the space between us. I was being squeezed by the immense heat and pure strength emanating from his entire body. "They are going to come in and clear everything and everyone from this place. You have about 30 seconds until they break your front door down." "I...I've got to call the cops." "The cops are in Blackwood's pocket, Chloe," he barked. I was losing the battle, as he gripped my wrist and forced me to drop the ceramic cup. It was broken into countless little shards. "Hey—!" I said and tried to break free. "Listen to me really closely," Kellan commanded. I was backed into the counter by the impenetrable wall of his chest and abs. His thumb brushed lightly, menacingly, against my rapid pulse point. "You can stay here and let Blackwood's men turn you into a statistic tonight, or you can walk out of here with me." "And why on earth would you help me?!" I demanded, staring up into his dangerous, unreadable eyes. "Because those ledgers are the key to destroying my biggest enemy," Kellan replied smoothly, a dark, consuming fire burning in his gaze. "Marry me, Chloe. Let me put a ring on your finger and claim you as my own, and I'll give you an army strong enough to burn the Blackwood empire to the ground."