Chapter 4 - The UnravelingTrue to her word, the moment Harper’s phone buzzed with the confirmation alert from her attorney verifying the wire transfer and the signed release, she tapped a sequence of keys on her burner phone.
The live data feed streaming to the federal servers terminated instantly. The digital countdown vanished.
She closed her briefcase, slid the executed paperwork into her bag, and turned toward the elevator without saying a word of goodbye.
"Harper."
Roman’s voice stopped her just as she reached the door.
She paused, keeping her back to him. "It's done, Roman. We're square."
"Are we?" he asked quietly. "You think walking out that door erases the last six months? You think wiping my ledgers clean makes you safe?"
"I'm safer out there than I ever was in here," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
"People like us don't just walk away from the table, Harper," Roman warned, stepping closer. "Vincent won't let this go. Now that he knows I spared you, he'll view you as my primary vulnerability. He'll come after you—not through the feds, but through the streets."
Harper turned to face him, a bitter smile touching her lips. "Then it's a good thing I'm leaving New York."
Roman froze. "What?"
"My brother and I are getting on a flight to London tonight," Harper said steadily. "New accounts, new identities, new lives. By tomorrow morning, I'll be completely out of your reach."
For a split second, something raw and unguarded flickered across Roman’s face—a look of profound loss that shocked her to her core. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced once again by the mask of the untouchable crime boss.
May you like
"Have a safe flight, Harper," Roman said flatly.
She didn't answer. She turned, walked into the elevator, and watched the brass doors slide shut, cutting off the sight of the man who had ruined her life and then saved it.
