Page 11 of Ivory Legacy

“Since it involved the Moretti family,” he shot back with a calm that scraped at my resolve.

“Ah, right. The grand quest to take us down.” My laugh came out as a harsh exhale. “Well, detective, while you’re on your noble crusade, people like me have real concerns—like family.”

He barked out a laugh. “Are you talking about your girlfriend? The one who couldn’t wait to get away from you? The one who literally escaped from an interrogation room so she wouldn’t have to see you again? Is that what you mean by family?”

“You’re way off base, Rodriguez.” I snapped, my voice dangerously low. “You don’t know a thing about Jade or what she means to me.”

Rodriguez’s smirk faded, replaced by a hard glare. “Oh, I think I understand perfectly. You’re just upset that your little science project didn’t work out the way you wanted.”

I was on my feet before I even realized it, standing tall despite the protest of my battered body. Rodriguez didn’t even flinch, just watched me with those icy eyes of his.

“Careful, Detective,” I warned, my voice barely more than a growl. “Don’t underestimate how quickly this conversation can turn.”

“As long as we’re trading threats,” he shot back, his tone frosty as he finally placed his notepad back in his pocket. “Just remember this; you’re not invincible, Moretti. And your reign over this city won’t last forever.”

“You think I’m scared of whatever you’ve got planned for me? I’ve stared down worse fates than a jail cell.”

“Is that so?” He stepped closer, invading my already limited space, his height casting a shadow across the bed. “Then you won’t mind sticking around the city for a while?”

“Try and stop me,” I challenged, meeting his gaze head-on, daring him to blink first.

A thread of relief wound through the tightness in my chest, but the knot didn’t fully unravel. I narrowed my eyes at Rodriguez, the familiar burn of frustration flaring up again as he stood there, a statue of authority.

“Fine,” he finally said, his voice carrying the weight of a gavel’s fall. “Stay in New York, Moretti. But keep one thing in mind—you step out of line, you so much as breathe suspiciously, and I’ll have you back here with cuffs tighter than those bandages.”

I wanted to lash out, to remind him that the world I lived in had no room for idle threats, but instead, I bit back the retort. My family—Jade, her condition, the life we could forge away from all this chaos—flickered in my vision like a distant lighthouse in stormy seas.

“Under investigation and surveillance, then? That’s your move?” I asked, the edge of defiance still sharp in my voice despite the underlying note of concession. The game was changing, and though I wasn’t about to fold, I recognized the need to play a smarter hand.

“Consider it a courtesy,” Rodriguez replied, his blue eyes glinting with the reflection of the bedside lamp, giving nothing away. “And remember, every kingpin falls eventually.”

“I’m grateful,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He rolled his eyes. “I know you aren’t,” he said. “But you should be. Because you can’t even begin to understand all the damage I can do.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Chapter Five: Jade

My pulse hammered in my ears, a relentless drumbeat that matched the racing of my heart. Perched on the edge of Ellie’s sofa bed, I could feel every worn spring beneath me, every threadbare patch of the throw that had become my temporary shroud in this refuge turned prison. The darkness of her living room seemed to hold its breath as much as I did, blanketed by the weight of the winter night pressing against the windows.

Memories flickered through my mind like the pages of a book caught in a tempest, each image crisp and searing despite the cold that crept into the apartment. I remembered the sterile gleam of BioHQ’s labs, the heady mix of fear and thrill as I delved into genetic codes that held secrets darker than the Moretti family could fathom. And then there was Dante—his world had snared me in a web I couldn’t have imagined, his presence both a danger and an inexplicable solace in the madness that had become my life.

I didn’t know how he was. I couldn’t find out how he was–if I even so much as called the hospital, Rodriguez would find me. And giving the slip to the police wouldn’t look good if I did have to testify, which I had only just realized on Ellie’s sofa.

So things weren’t looking great for me.

But it was the tiny flutter, the subtle shift within me that anchored me to the present moment. My hand instinctively went to my belly, cradling the promise of new life that bloomed amidst the chaos. This child, innocent and yet unborn, had become my compass, my reason for every hard decision, every step cloaked in shadow. For them, I would brave the treacherous path ahead, forsake the comfort of old alliances, even if it meant walking headlong into the unknown.

Protecting my baby wasn’t just an option; it was the imperative that propelled me forward, past the fear that clawed at my resolve. Even now, with Ellie sleeping mere feet away, her steady breathing a counterpoint to my own erratic one, I knew I couldn’t stay. She’d understand, eventually.

With a silent apology to my friend, I steeled myself for what had to come next. There was no turning back now—not when every heartbeat was a countdown to a future I had to grasp with both hands, no matter how they trembled.

The plush carpet muffled my steps as I tiptoed toward the coat closet where my bag waited—a lifeline in nylon and zippers.

My hands shook as I reached for it, the tremble betraying the icy knot of dread lodged deep in my stomach. I unzipped the main compartment, the faint whisper of fabric against teeth sounding thunderous in the hushed room. I paused, glancingback at Ellie’s sleeping form, praying she’d remain oblivious to my covert departure.

With a shuddering breath that I willed to be silent, I snatched my phone and wallet. They were the sum of my possessions now; everything else was a ghost of a life rapidly receding behind me. I slipped them into my bag, each item a weighty anchor, tethering me to a reality I could no longer afford to ignore. My fingers fumbled over the phone’s cold surface, and my heart pounded a staccato rhythm that echoed the urgency pulsating through my veins.

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