Chapter 4 - The Traitor's Trap
By Tuesday afternoon, the estate was on high alert.
Through his network of informants across New York and New Jersey, Dominic had tracked Julian Vance’s movements. Julian was hiding out in an abandoned boathouse along the Hudson River near Yonkers, backed by a rogue faction of rival mob enforcers who wanted to dismantle Dominic’s control over the shipping ports.
In the master suite of the Moretti estate, Dominic stood in front of a mirror, strapping a leather shoulder holster over his dark suit jacket.
Sophia stood near the doorway, watching him with a knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach. "You're going after him yourself?"
"Julian won't surrender to my security guards," Dominic said, checking the magazine of his pistol before sliding it into the holster. "He wants a confrontation with me. If I send Marcus alone, Julian will slip through the network again. This ends tonight."
Sophia walked over to him, stopping just inches away. She reached out, her hands instinctively resting against his chest, feeling the hard, steady beat of his heart.
"Please be careful, Dominic," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Ethan needs his father. And... and Lily and I need you."
Dominic froze. He looked down into her deep brown eyes, seeing the genuine love, fear, and devotion shining back at him. For seven years, he had kept his heart encased in stone, believing that love was a luxury a man in his position couldn't afford. But looking at Sophia now, he realized that she had quietly cleared away the ice without him even noticing.
Dominic raised his hand, cupping the side of her neck, his fingers tangling in her soft dark hair.
"I'm coming back, Sophia," Dominic promised softly. He bent his head down and pressed his lips to hers in a deep, desperate kiss that tasted of rain, fire, and unspoken promises.
Sophia melted into his embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist, holding him as if she could keep him safe through sheer willpower alone.
When he pulled back, both of them were breathless.
"Keep Lily and Ethan in the panic room until Marcus calls you," Dominic instructed, his voice thick with emotion. "No matter what happens."
"I will," Sophia promised, nodding through her tears.
Dominic took his dark trench coat, turned, and strode out of the room, flanked by six armed operatives.
Two hours later, night had fallen over the Hudson River. The abandoned boathouse was shrouded in thick river fog, the dark water lapping rhythmically against the rotting wooden pilings.
Dominic and Marcus moved through the shadows of the warehouse, their weapons raised, their movements completely noiseless.
"Clear on the ground floor," Marcus whispered into his radio headset.
Dominic moved toward the upper office loft. As he pushed open the creaky wooden door, he saw a solitary figure sitting behind a steel desk, lit only by a single kerosene lamp.
Julian Vance looked up. He was fifty years old, gaunt, with disheveled graying hair and hollow, manic eyes. On his left wrist, the vintage gold Audemars Piguet watch caught the flickering yellow light of the lamp.
"Dominic," Julian sneered, a twisted smile spreading across his pale face. "You finally came. I was wondering how long it would take your slow mind to follow the watch."
Dominic stepped into the room, his gun raised, his eyes cold as liquid nitrogen. "It's over, Julian. Put your hands on the desk."
Julian laughed—a high-pitched, unhinged sound that echoed through the empty rafters. "Over? It's never over, Dominic! You took my sister! You took my family's money! You ruined my life!"
"Elena died in a car crash because you were driving drunk while running from your bookies!" Dominic roared, his composure cracking for the first time in years. "And you tried to murder an eight-year-old child to get revenge on me!"
"He's your blood!" Julian screamed, standing up and slamming his hands on the desk. "He carries your name! He deserved to die!"
Dominic didn't hesitate. He took two steps forward, leveled his weapon, and prepared to end the threat once and for all.
Suddenly, Julian pressed a small red trigger hidden under the desk edge.
May you like
"BOOM!"
A localized charge of dynamite detonated beneath the floorboards of the loft. The timber shattered, sending cloud of dust, wood splinters, and fire into the air as the floor gave way beneath them.
