Chapter 146
Chapter 146:
She walked barefoot down the long hallway, her steps silent on the polished marble.
Dallas stood at the stove in the vast, sun-drenched kitchen. He had rolled the sleeves of his white dress shirt up to his elbows, exposing the corded muscles of his forearms. He held a spatula with the same precision he likely held a signing pen — or a weapon. He didn’t turn when she entered, but his posture shifted slightly, acknowledging her presence.
“You cook?” Eliza asked. Her voice was rough with sleep. She leaned against the cool marble of the island and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Survival skill,” Dallas replied, his voice a low rumble. He flipped a pancake with a casual flick of his wrist. It landed perfectly. “Blueberry or plain p>
Eliza studied his back. This was the man who could buy a country on a whim, standing at a stove and flipping pancakes against the entire Manhattan skyline.
“Blueberry,” she said.
𝗗𝗼n’𝘁 𝘮𝗂𝘴ѕ n𝖾w 𝘳e𝘭еа𝘀е𝘀 o𝗇.с𝗈𝗺
He plated the food and turned around, sliding the plate across the island toward her. Three pancakes, perfectly round, dusted with powdered sugar, with bacon arranged alongside them in a neat row. He picked up his own plate without ceremony.
“Coffee’s in the pot,” he said.
They ate in a silence that was startlingly comfortable. The only sounds were the quiet scrape of forks against ceramic and the distant hum of the city stirring awake far below. Eliza felt a knot in her chest loosen — one she hadn’t known was there.
Then the intercom buzzed.
The sound was sharp and jarring, tearing through the peace like a blade through canvas. Eliza’s fork clattered onto her plate. Her heart slammed against her ribs with an immediate, visceral force.
Dallas didn’t flinch. He rose and crossed to the wall panel, pressing the talk button. “Yes p>
“Mr. Koch.” The head of security’s voice crackled through the speaker, crisp and professional. “Apologies for the intrusion. There is a man at the curb. Anson Hyde. He’s insistent on waiting for Ms. Solomon.” A brief pause. “He has gifts. He’s causing a minor scene, sir p>
The blood drained from Eliza’s face. The taste of blueberries turned to ash on her tongue.
Dallas’s eyes darkened, the blue in them shifting to the color of a deep ocean trench. “I’ll have him removed p>
“No p>
Eliza stood. Her legs felt unsteady, but her voice held. She looked down at her hands — they were trembling. She curled them into fists, pressing her fingernails into her palms until the sharp sting brought her back to herself.
“If you remove him, he’ll only come back,” she said, her voice low and controlled. “He thrives on being the victim. He needs to know there is no hope left p>
Dallas looked at her carefully, reading her face for fear. He found fire instead.
“I’ll be watching,” he said. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. A tether.