Chapter 4 - The Shadow at the WindowBefore Avery could find her voice to answer, a sharp, piercing sound ripped through the quiet sanctuary of the master bedroom.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
It was the encrypted security console built into the wall near the private bathroom. A red emergency light began to strobe rhythmically.
Dominic’s entire demeanor shifted in a fraction of a second. The tender, vulnerable man vanished, replaced instantly by the lethal, calculating boss of the Chicago underworld. He turned sharply toward the console, tapping the master override key.
A high-definition security feed blinked onto the screen.
Down in the private gated driveway outside, three unmarked black SUVs had rammed directly through the security gates. Armed men in tactical gear were pouring out, weapons raised, moving with military precision toward the main entrance.
“Boss,” a frantic voice crackled through the comms speaker from the downstairs guard station. “We’ve been breached! It’s the Moreno cartel—they tracked the fallout from last night’s ambush. They’re coming through the north wing!”
Dominic didn’t panic. His jaw tightened into a hard, unforgiving line. He reached into his shoulder holster, pulled out a heavy 9mm Sig Sauer pistol, and checked the magazine with a practiced, lethal click.
“Lock down the panic room in the east gallery,” Dominic ordered calmly into his comm-link. “Get the wounded men down the escape tunnel. Do not engage unless fired upon—draw them into the primary corridor.”
He turned back toward the bed, his dark eyes instantly finding Avery.
“Get dressed,” Dominic commanded, his voice brooking zero argument as he tossed a tactical jacket onto the mattress. “My car is waiting in the subterranean garage. My head of security will take you—”
“No,” Avery interrupted.
Dominic stopped mid-motion. “Avery, listen to me. This isn’t a kitchen argument. Those men are professional killers looking for blood.”
“I know what they are,” Avery said, her voice suddenly steady, clear, and dripping with an unshakeable, fierce resolve. She threw off the silk duvet, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and grabbed Mason’s journal, tucking it safely inside the pocket of her oversized sweater.
She stood up, looking straight into the eyes of the most dangerous man in Chicago.
“You spent three years keeping me safe in your house, Dominic,” Avery said, stepping forward until she was standing right in front of him. “You patched up your men, but who is going to patch you up when you take another bullet?”
Dominic stared at her, completely stunned. A rare, fierce smile finally broke across his lips—a look of profound respect and awakening.
“You really are out of your mind, Avery Collins,” he murmured.
“Maybe,” she replied, reaching past him to grab a medical trauma pack from the bedside drawer and strapping it securely around her waist. “But right now, you have a bleeding shoulder, a dozen armed men downstairs, and an emergency room nurse who refuses to let her favorite patient die.”
Dominic let out a low, dark laugh, raising his weapon as the distant sound of shattering glass echoed up from the hallway below.
“Stay behind me,” Dominic ordered, his eyes flashing with lethal intent.
May you like
“Only if you keep up with me,” Avery replied, cocking her chin up.
Together, the mafia boss and his extraordinary maid stepped out into the hallway, ready to face the storm.
