Chapter 9 - The Thaw of Michigan Avenue
The spring of 2026 arrived in Chicago not with a sudden burst of heat, but with a slow, beautiful thaw that turned the ice of Lake Michigan into clear, blue water. The snow melted off the Loop, leaving the streets clean and grey beneath the bright April sun.
The executive floor of Moretti Tower had been completely remodeled. The dark wood paneling was gone, replaced by bright, open glass partitions that let in the light from the lake. The massive desk outside Dominic’s office was gone too.
In its place was a beautiful corner suite with a view of the skyline.
I stood by the window, wearing a tailored green wool dress that fit my frame perfectly, a simple gold necklace catching the light. My hands were warm, my skin clear, and the memory of the alley was nothing more than a faint scar on my hip that only a few people knew about.
The door to the inner office opened, and Dominic walked out. He wore a gray suit, his tie perfectly straight, his dark hair combed back. He looked like the businessman the newspapers called him, but when his eyes found mine, the look inside them was still the untamed predator that had knelt in the snow for me.
“The buyers from the shipping line are downstairs, Emma,” he said, stepping up behind me, his hands sliding around my waist to pull me back against his chest. His chin rested on my shoulder, his breath warm against my ear. “Are the contracts ready?”
“They’ve been ready since nine o'clock, Dominic,” I said, turning slightly in his arms to face him, my hands resting on his broad chest. I didn't call him sir anymore. We had crossed that line three months ago, and there was no going back.
“Marco’s trial starts next week in federal court,” I added softly, looking up into his eyes. “The lawyers say the offshore ledger files you found in his safe will be enough to give him twenty years for racketeering.”
“Let the lawyers handle it,” Dominic said, his fingers gently lifting my chin until our lips were inches apart. “Marco made his choice in the alley. He thought he could use the winter to hide his tracks, but he forgot that the snow always melts in the spring.”
He leaned down, his mouth covering mine in a deep, slow kiss that tasted like warmth, like safety, like a promise that had been kept through the darkest night of the year. The bass from the jazz quartet wasn't thumping anymore; the office was quiet, filled with the steady, calm light of a new season.
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The city of Chicago was still dangerous, still filled with men who lowered their voices in the dark, but inside Moretti Tower, the rules had changed. The king had found his queen, and the secret everyone was hiding had finally been laid bare in the light of the sun: that the most feared man in Illinois was entirely, completely, and irrevocably ruled by the girl he had pulled from the ice.
“Come,” Dominic whispered against my lips, his hand taking mine as he led me toward the glass doors of the boardroom where the future was waiting for us. “Let’s go show them who really runs this town.”
