Chapter 1 - The Search on Fifth AvenueThe antiseptic smell of the hospital room was starting to fray Dominic Moretti’s legendary patience. Less than twenty-four hours after cheating death on Fifth Avenue, he was already sitting upright in the motorized bed, an intravenous line trailing from his muscular forearm like a tether he fully intended to snap.
“You’re discharged against medical advice, Mr. Moretti,” the head cardiologist warned, adjusting his glasses nervously as Dominic stood up, swaying only slightly before his formidable balance asserted itself.
“My body, my rules,” Dominic’s voice was a low, gravelly rumble that brooked no argument. He grabbed his tailored charcoal suit jacket from the chair, shrugged it over broad shoulders, and looked at his lead security detail, a towering, scarred veteran named Vince. “Did security pull the traffic camera footage from 53rd and Fifth?”
“Yes, boss,” Vince replied, holding open a pristine leather tablet. “Traffic light cameras and private storefront feeds. We have a clear view of the entire incident.”
Dominic walked over and stared down at the screen.
There she was.
Six years old. A faded yellow cotton dress. Pale blond curls escaping a crooked hair clip. Serious, luminous blue eyes that looked straight into the lens of a street-corner camera without a trace of hesitation. While dozens of adults stood around with phones recording his collapse like vultures, this tiny child had knelt directly beside him, touched his hot skin, and dialed 911 with absolute, unwavering focus.
“Find her,” Dominic commanded, his gray-green eyes darkening with intense, unyielding resolve. “Find out who she is, where she lives, and what her family situation looks like. I want every report on my desk by tonight.”
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“Boss,” Vince hesitated, his expression cautious. “New York is a city of eight million people. Tracing a kid in a faded yellow dress based on a single street camera—optic enhancements can only do so much.”
“Then double the team,” Dominic snapped, buttoning his collar. “She saved my life, Vince. In my world, debts like that are never ignored. And neither are the people who own them.”
