Chapter 5 - The Ashes of the Past
The force of the explosion blew Dominic backward onto the steel catwalk outside the loft. Smoke poured into the night sky as flames quickly caught on the dry wood of the old boathouse.
Coughing through the thick smoke, Dominic pushed himself up. His left arm was bruised, and blood trickled from a cut on his temple, but his grip on his sidearm remained iron-clad.
Through the haze of smoke and fire, he saw Julian crawling toward the rear exit ladder that led to a speedboat tied to the dock below.
"Marcus! Cover the water!" Dominic yelled into his radio, though the static was deafening.
Dominic sprinted through the burning structure, leaping over fallen, flaming beams until he cut off Julian's path at the edge of the dock.
Julian pulled a small snub-nosed revolver from his coat, his eyes wild with terror and rage. "Get back, Dominic! I'll blow this whole place into the river!"
"You're out of moves, Julian," Dominic said calmly, walking steadily toward him through the rain and smoke. "The state police have surrounded the riverbank. My men control the water. There is nowhere left to run."
Julian raised his gun, his hands shaking violently. "I should have poisoned you instead of the kid!"
Before Julian could pull the trigger, a red laser dot appeared directly on his chest.
From the shadows of a nearby crane, Marcus's voice echoed over a loudspeaker. "Drop the weapon, Vance! Final warning!"
Julian looked around frantically, realizing he was completely trapped. In a fit of desperate madness, he swung his gun toward Dominic.
A single shot rang out across the river.
Dominic pulled his trigger. The round struck Julian squarely in the shoulder, knocking him off balance. Julian stumbled backward over the wooden railing, screaming as he plummeted into the dark, rushing waters of the Hudson River below.
Below the dock, two Moretti security boats immediately converged on the splash, their searchlights illuminating the thrashing water. Within seconds, Marcus's men pulled a dripping, defeated Julian Vance out of the river, slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
The vintage gold watch slipped off Julian's wrist during the struggle, sinking into the dark, silty depths of the riverbed, lost forever.
Dominic stood on the dock, staring down at the water as the rain washed the blood from his forehead. The fire department sirens were already wailing in the distance, their red lights flashing against the fog.
He pulled his satellite phone from his pocket and dialed the estate's private line.
It rang once before Sophia answered, her voice breathless and filled with agony. "Dominic?! Dominic, are you okay?!"
Dominic let out a long, deep breath, a genuine smile breaking through his exhaustion.
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"It's over, Sophia," Dominic said softly. "Julian is in custody. The house is safe. I'm coming home."
On the other end of the line, he heard Sophia burst into tears of overwhelming relief, followed by the faint sound of Lily and Ethan cheering in the background.
