Chapter 30.

NORA CARUSO. I sat in the armchair by the window in my bedroom, a book open on my lap, but I hadn’t turned a page in forty minutes. Outside, the grounds were dark, save for the sweep of searchlights from the perimeter guards. My body was exhausted, every muscle aching from the trauma of the warehouse, but my mind refused to shut down. It was racing, I closed the book with a snap, tossing it onto the side table. I couldn't focus on fiction when my reality was becoming more twisted than any plot. A timid knock at my door shattered the silence. I stood up, smoothing the front of my grey sweater. "Come in." The door cracked open, and Elena peeked inside. Her face was pale, and she was twisting her apron in her hands so tightly her knuckles were white. "Mrs. Volkov?" she squeaked. "I... I am so sorry to disturb you, ma'am." "What is it, Elena?" "It’s the Boss," she whispered, glancing nervously down the hallway as if he might hear her from the first floor. "He is... he is being difficult."