Chapter 9 - The Safehouse on the Lake|
By six in the morning, the rain had cleared, leaving a pale, frosted dawn over the pine forests of Door County, Wisconsin.
The DeLuca lakefront estate was a massive timber-and-stone fortress built on a high bluff overlooking the gray, misty expanse of Lake Michigan. High iron fences, security cameras, and six armed guards in tactical gear greeted us as Daniel pulled the battered SUV through the main gate.
I carried a tired, exhausted Sophie up the wide wooden stairs to the second-floor master suite.
The room was vast and warm, featuring a stone fireplace, high timber ceilings, and a private balcony overlooking the roaring lake water below—just as Gabriel had described in his text.
I tucked Sophie into the massive king-sized bed, stroking her dark curls until her breathing slowed into deep, peaceful sleep.
I walked over to the glass balcony doors, wrapping my sweater tightly around my shoulders against the morning chill.
My phone rang in my hand.
I swiped the screen instantly. “Gabriel?”
“Hannah.” His deep voice was raspy, laden with exhaustion, but the relief in his tone was undeniable. “Daniel reported the attack on the highway. Are you both unhurt?”
“We’re fine,” I breathed out, leaning my forehead against the cool glass. “Sophie is asleep. But Gabriel... Daniel said there was a tracker on the car.”
A terrifying silence lingered on the line before Gabriel spoke again.
“I found the leak,” Gabriel gritted out softly. “It was Isabella’s personal bodyguard. He’s been dealt with.”
“Did you find Moretti?”
“Not yet,” Gabriel replied. “He’s gone to ground in East Chicago. But he left something behind in Isabella’s apartment.”
“What?”
“Elena’s original journal,” Gabriel revealed, his voice shaking with a quiet intensity. “The missing volume from four years ago. It contains the master key codes to Elena’s software. I’m flying up to Door County on the helicopter now, Hannah. I have the journal with me.”
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My heart leaped in my chest. “You’re coming here?”
“I’m coming to protect my family,” Gabriel murmured softly. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
