31. Claire

CHAPTER 31

CLAIRE

THE FOLLOWING MORNING – THE THREATS CONTINUE

“ S o, what have you got planned for today?” Luca asked the following morning.

“I need to go over to my house later and check the mail. I’m expecting my new bank card in the post. But first I’m going to email my resignation off to Turner and Hanson, then I need to get my CV in shape so I can start looking for a new job, I guess,” I sighed.

“You can always take over from Bradley, babe. You know Miki’s already asked you and Brad would love to train you up as his successor.”

“I know, but I’m still not sure I’m ready for that. I’ll think about it,” I told him and I meant it. I’d quiz Brad on things when I saw him next.

“Yes, please do. We are moving out of our more illegal activities a bit at a time and soon there will be little chance of any of us needing a criminal lawyer. Well, so long as we don’t get caught out with the white collar stuff, but that’s unlikely. Marko is exceptionally good at what he does, and the chances of anything being traced back to us are extremely slim. Even if it did happen, we wouldn’t expect you to get involved. We’d ensure you never had anything to do with that side of the business, so you’d never have to worry about getting your hands dirty,” he said.

I nodded.

“Great, I’ll see you tonight,” he said, leaning in to kiss me goodbye before playfully swatting my bum. The tap brought back memories of last night’s role play, sending a shiver of delight through me as my body remembered the sting of his hand. My pussy clenched so hard I almost came on the spot.

Shock coursed through me. My god, what was that? I’d never expected to enjoy spanking, but that first time had opened my mind to it, and now I couldn’t get enough. Adding the role play had only intensified the pleasure. My body still hummed with the memory.

Smiling to myself, I quickly dressed and opened my laptop. A few short, clipped sentences of resignation flew from my fingers, leaving me with a mess of emotions. Sadness that my partnership dreams with Turner and Hanson were over. Disgust over the incident that had led to this. Anger at their manipulation and intimidation. Hurt that years of friendship and mentorship had been a lie. And worst of all, disillusionment in the people and systems I’d always believed in.

I updated my CV and sent it off to several firms that might be interested. With every email, my heart wavered—caught between the heaviness of starting over and the possibility of new beginnings. I’d promised to think about taking over from Bradley, and I would, but it didn’t hurt to explore other options.

Later in the afternoon, I went in search of Vlad, finding him in the kitchen devouring some of Nonna’s leftover pie. “Can you drive me over to my house? I want to check my mail.”

“Sure,” he said, scoffing the last bit.

When we reached my house, we parked in the drive at the side. The moment I stepped out of the vehicle my heart sunk at what I saw. The mess. Someone had sprayed the front door of the house with paint. “Bitch. You’ll pay!”

Anger surged through me at the sight.

Vlad’s arm grabbed mine. “Get back inside the car until I check around the house,” Vlad said, his voice just as calm as usual, his eyes scanning the area once again for threats. Without argument, I did what he said, but I was fuming. I was sick of the threats. This thing with that bloody MP had to stop.

I sat in the car and watched Vlad cautiously move around my home. A few seconds later, he was back.

“All clear. This is the only damage,” he said.

I sighed in relief. He took a photo and sent it to Luca. Then rang Miki to send the cleanup team.

As we stepped inside, I berated myself for not getting a better security system. All I had was the camera on the doorbell at the front—now sprayed over. I pulled up the footage on my phone: a figure, likely male, dressed in dark clothing with a hood pulled up, approaching from the side before spraying the camera—then nothing. Typical.

“Send a copy of that to Marko,” Vlad said. “He might be able to enhance it.”

I nodded, forwarding the footage. I doubted it would reveal anything useful, but Marko was the tech wizard, not me.

After that, we quickly went inside, I grabbed the mail, and we headed back to the Estate. I’d always loved my little cottage on the corner of town. It’s where I grew up with Mum, and later Gracie, filled with pictures and memories. It had always felt safe. But until the MP was out of the way, I wouldn’t be back. And when I finally returned, I’d get top-of-the-range security. It seemed that being a part of Luca’s life meant I’d need it.

Once, the thought of this would have filled me with dread and given me another reason to stay away. But now, it was just another hurdle because I’d realised something in the past few weeks: Luca was the only man for me. No amount of moral dilemmas, threats, or danger would drive me away.