Chapter 5 - The Lion's Den
Dominic didn't look like a businessman anymore. He looked like the undisputed lord of the underworld.
His face was splattered with rain and dark blood, his eyes glowing with an unholy, terrifying fury. In his left hand he held a tactical shotgun, and in his right, a heavy semi-automatic pistol. Behind him, three of his elite syndicate enforcers poured into the room, instantly disarming the remaining tactical guard before he could even raise his weapon.
Vanessa gasped, dropping her handgun onto the rug, stepping back in absolute terror. "Dominic! No! Wait!"
Dominic didn't say a word. He didn't issue an order. He stepped forward with terrifying speed, grabbed Vanessa by the front of her coat, and slammed her against the solid oak desk with enough force to knock the air from her lungs.
He pressed the hot barrel of his pistol directly beneath her jawline.
"Dominic! Please!" Vanessa shrieked, tears instantly ruining her makeup. "It was my father! He forced me to do this! He said we had to eliminate the witnesses! I didn't want to hurt anyone!"
"You put a weapon to the head of the woman I love," Dominic said, his voice dropping into a register so low and icy it felt like death itself had entered the room. "And you threatened my son inside my own home."
"Dominic, please! We can negotiate! My father—"
"Your father is currently sitting in the back of a unmarked van in Brooklyn," Dominic interrupted, his eyes completely dead. "He tried to seize my docks. He didn't realize that three of the federal agents on his task force were on my payroll. Senator Whitmore's career is over. He’s going to spend the rest of his life in a federal penitentiary for treason and corruption."
Vanessa choked on her own breath, realizing that her family’s entire empire had been dismantled in less than three hours.
Dominic pulled the weapon back slightly from her neck, looking at his head of security, Mario, who had just limped into the room bandaging a flesh wound on his arm.
"Take her," Dominic ordered coldly. "Deliver her to the precinct. Hand over the security footage of her holding a gun to Grace's head. Make sure the press gets every single frame."
"No! Dominic! Please!" Vanessa screamed as Mario and two enforcers dragged her out of the library, her heels scraping uselessly against the floor until her cries faded down the long, dark hallway.
Silence returned to the grand library.
The red emergency lights flickered, and then the main electrical grid snapped back on, bathing the room in warm, golden light.
Dominic dropped his weapon onto the desk, his heavy shoulders sagging slightly. He turned around to face me.
I was still standing in front of the panic room door, my knees trembling, my back pressed against the wood.
Dominic walked toward me slowly. He didn't say anything. He reached out, his big, warm hands taking my face, his thumbs gently wiping away the tears I hadn't realized were streaming down my cheeks.
"Are you hurt?" he whispered, his voice suddenly completely devoid of the violence it had carried moments ago. "Did she touch you?"
"I'm okay," I choked out, wrapping my hands around his wrists, feeling the strong, steady pulse beneath his skin. "Dominic... you came back."
"I told you I would," he said softly, leaning down until his forehead rested against mine. "I will always come back for you."
From inside the safe-room, the small door clicked wider, and Noah peeked out, holding Scout in his arms.
"Daddy?" Noah called out timidly.
Dominic pulled back from me, dropped down onto his knees, and opened his arms wide. "Come here, buddy."
Noah ran out of the safe-room, throwing his small arms around Dominic’s neck. Scout bounded out beside them, barking wildly, jumping up to lick Dominic’s face and then turning around to circle my good leg, wagging his tail so hard his whole body shook.
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Dominic held his son tightly, pressing a kiss into Noah's dark hair, his eyes looking up at me over Noah's shoulder.
"It's over, Noah," Dominic whispered, his eyes never leaving mine. "The storm is over."
