Chapter 7 - Reunited in the Dark
The moment the gun dropped away, Lydia collapsed against the side of the car, her breathing ragged, her hands still tied behind her back.
Gideon was by her side in a fraction of a second. He pulled a tactical knife from his boot, slicing through the zip-ties binding her wrists with a single, practiced motion.
Lydia rubbed her chafed wrists, looking up through tear-filled eyes. The moment she was free, she threw her arms around Gideon’s neck, burying her face into his coat as she sobbed—a sound of pure, unadulterated release after two years of living in terror.
"You came," she whispered, her voice breaking against his chest. "I knew you would... I knew you'd find us."
Gideon wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tightly as if afraid she would dissolve back into mist if he let go. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of lavender soap that had haunted his dreams for twenty-four agonizing months.
"I told you," Gideon murmured, his voice thick with emotion he rarely showed the world. "Nobody takes what's mine. Nobody."
Pierce walked up, standing a respectful distance away as he kicked Viktor’s unconscious body aside. "Boss, the cleanup crew is on the way. What do we do with Nolan?"
Nolan was sitting on the ground a few feet away, clutching his bruised arm, looking up at his brother with sheer terror. "Gideon... I helped! I saved her life! You saw what I just did!"
Gideon looked over his shoulder at his brother. The cold, merciless look in his eyes made Nolan shrink back against the wheels of the SUV.
"You saved her life because you were trying to buy your own," Gideon said coldly. "You don't die today, Nolan. But you are stripped of every title, every asset, every cent, and every connection to the Mercer name. By sunrise, you will be on a cargo ship heading out of the country, and if you ever set foot in Chicago again, I won't use a gun. I'll throw you into the river myself."
Nolan opened his mouth to protest, but one look at Pierce’s hand resting on his holster shut him up instantly. He slumped forward, defeated, realizing he had lost everything.
"Get him out of my sight," Gideon ordered Pierce.
Two enforcers grabbed Nolan by the arms and dragged him toward the waiting transport van, his muffled protests fading into the roar of the wind off Lake Michigan.
Lydia pulled back slightly, looking up at Gideon with an anxious expression. "The baby... Hope... is she safe?"
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"She's at the mansion," Gideon said softly, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips as he cupped her cheek with his calloused hand. "Marnie is watching her. She hasn't stopped sleeping in your yellow room."
Lydia let out a long, shuddering breath of relief, closing her eyes as another tear slipped down her cheek. "Take me home, Gideon."
