Chapter 6 - A Clean Slate
By morning, the estate was silent once more, save for the hum of the HVAC system and the distant wail of sirens heading toward the property lines. The rogue faction had been thoroughly routed, Leo Romano was in federal custody facing a lifetime behind bars, and Dominic’s wound, though slow to heal, was finally closing cleanly under my strict medical supervision. Standing in the sunlit foyer where I had first walked in out of the freezing rain days earlier, I packed my canvas medical bag for the final time. My rent crisis was a distant memory; Dominic had quietly ensured that every financial burden hanging over my head—including the medical debt collection accounts—had been permanently settled. As I zipped my bag, Dominic walked down the grand staircase, leaning slightly against the banister, wearing a crisp dark shirt instead of hospital bandages. He looked down at me with those dark, intense eyes that no longer held hostility. "You're leaving," he stated, not as a question. "My shift is over," I replied, adjusting my jacket. He walked the remaining steps, pulled an envelope containing a permanent retainer from his pocket—along with the keys to a brand-new Honda to replace my rusted clunker—and offered a rare, genuine smile. "The job is permanent, Norah," he said softly. "And so is the protection." I took the keys, feeling the cold metal in my palm, knowing the world I was walking back into would never be ordinary again, but realizing I had finally found a place where I belonged.
