Chapter 16 - The Rescue
Before David could squeeze the trigger, a thunderous explosion echoed from the lower levels of the mansion, shaking the entire foundation of the third floor.
Boom!
The reinforced security door leading to the hallway was blown inward in a cloud of dust and splintered steel. Alarms shrieked deafeningly, and red strobe lights flashed violently across the ceiling.
Through the smoke, a towering silhouette emerged, flanked by two armed enforcers in full tactical gear.
Dominic Moretti.
His eyes were wide, burning with a demonic, uncontrollable fury that made even the seasoned traitor David Brooks freeze in sheer terror. Dominic was holding a smoking 12-gauge shotgun, the barrel still glowing faintly from the breech.
“Let her go, David,” Dominic growled, his voice a low, terrifying vibration that cut straight through the screeching alarms.
David’s face drained of all color. He kept the pistol pressed against my chin, his hand shaking violently. “Boss! Stay back! One twitch and I put a bullet through her head!”
Dominic didn't step back. He took two slow, deliberate steps forward, his gaze locked entirely onto David like a predator closing in on wounded prey.
“You’ve stolen from my house, you’ve betrayed my trust, and you laid a hand on the woman who protects my family,” Dominic said, every word dripping with lethal ice. “If you hurt so much as a hair on her head, I won't just kill you. I will dismantle your entire bloodline down to the last generation.”
“Drop the gun, David!” I gasped, kicking backward with my heel and catching him squarely in the shin.
David grunted in pain, his grip loosening for a fraction of a second.
That single second was all Dominic needed.
With blinding speed, Dominic raised the heavy shotgun and fired. The concussive blast of buckshot shattered David’s weapon into a thousand pieces and threw the traitor backward across the room, crashing hard against the massive surveillance console before collapsing into a motionless heap on the floor.
Silence descended over the command center, broken only by the hum of the emergency alarms and the heavy, ragged sound of my own breathing.
Dominic dropped the shotgun, sprinted across the room, and pulled me violently into his arms, burying his face in my hair as his strong body trembled against mine.
“Are you okay?” he choked out, his voice uncharacteristically broken. “Did he touch you?”
“I’m okay,” I whispered, tears finally breaking free as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. “I’m okay, Dominic.”
May you like
He pulled back just enough to frame my face with both hands, his dark eyes fierce, raw, and overflowing with an emotion he had spent a lifetime hiding from the world.
“I told you,” Dominic whispered fiercely, pressing his forehead against mine. “Nobody touches my family.”
