Chapter 7 - The Shadows Fall
The wind off the Newark bay was freezing, howling through the cracked windowpanes of the abandoned warehouse. Mrs. Park paced the floor, checking her gold watch every thirty seconds. It was 4:55 PM.
"Where is he?" she muttered, her voice frantic. "He should be here."
"I'm already here," a voice spoke from the shadows near the back entrance.
Mrs. Park spun around, her gun raised instantly.
Daniel Seo stepped out from the darkness. He was alone. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket; he wore a dark black cashmere sweater, his sleeves rolled up to expose the powerful muscles of his forearms. He walked with a slow, deliberate pace, his hands entirely visible, his face completely devoid of any human emotion. It was the face of death itself.
When he saw the blood on Grace’s lip, a tiny muscle flickered beneath his eye. That was the only sign of his rage.
"Daniel!" Grace cried out through the cloth gag the thugs had placed back over her mouth.
"Stay still, Grace," Daniel said softly, his voice remarkably steady. He looked toward Mrs. Park. "You wanted the assets. I brought the transfer documents." He held up a thick manila folder.
"Throw it on the floor!" Mrs. Park screamed, her hand shaking violently as she pointed the gun at Grace’s head. "Sign the tax waiver too! Do it now or I swear to God I'll blow her brains out!"
"You won't shoot her, Mrs. Park," Daniel said, continuing his slow, unstoppable walk toward them.
"I will! Don't tempt me, Seo!"
"You won't shoot her because you love your life more than you hate her," Daniel said, stopping ten feet away. He dropped the folder onto the dusty floor. "And you forgot to check who owns the warehouse you're standing in."
Before Mrs. Park could process the words, the massive glass skylight above them shattered into a thousand glittering pieces.
Three tactical flashbangs exploded in mid-air, filling the room with a deafening, blinding white light. The two hired thugs were thrown to the ground instantly as a dozen heavily armed men in black tactical gear dropped down from ropes, their red laser sights instantly painting the chests of the kidnappers.
Mrs. Park screamed, blinded by the light, and tried to pull the trigger of her gun toward Grace.
But Daniel was already there.
With explosive, superhuman speed, he crossed the room, grabbed Mrs. Park’s wrist, and twisted it until the bone cracked sharply. The silver revolver clattered to the floor. Daniel threw the older woman to the ground with a cold, disgusted force, completely ignoring her pathetic shrieks of pain.
He dropped to his knees in front of Grace, his hands remarkably gentle as he pulled the gag from her mouth and sliced through the thick ropes binding her arms.
The moment she was free, Grace threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest. She was shaking, the terror finally breaking through her composure.
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Daniel wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her so tightly against his heart it felt like he was trying to merge their bodies into one. He buried his face into her dark hair, his breath coming in ragged, heavy gasps.
"I have you," he whispered fiercely against her ear, his voice trembling with a raw emotion he had hidden for three long years. "I have you, Grace. No one will ever touch you again. I swear it on my life."
