Chapter 14 - Into the Depths
We sprinted down the final flight of stone stairs leading to the subterranean wine cellar. The heavy steel door of the panic bunker stood slightly ajar, a thick haze of acrid white smoke spilling out across the stone floor.
“Dante!” Dominic shouted, his weapon raised as he kicked the door wide open.
Inside, the scene was catastrophic. Two of Dominic’s elite guards were down, unconscious or worse. Dante was pinned against the far concrete wall, clutching a bleeding shoulder, while a masked operative stood over him, holding a small, terrified Lily by her arm.
In the operative’s other hand was the worn, faded cotton blanket—ripped open at the seam, exposing a tiny, silver microchip glinting under the emergency lights.
“Don't move!” the operative snarled, pressing the barrel of a pistol against Lily’s temple. “Drop the guns, Moretti! Drop them now, or the kid gets a bullet right through her skull!”
Lily let out a sharp, terrified sob, burying her face in her small hands. “Mommy!”
Something inside my chest snapped. Every ounce of fear, hesitation, and restraint evaporated, replaced by a cold, primal fury that burned brighter than any fire.
“Let her go,” I whispered, taking a slow step forward.
“Stay back, bitch! I’ll blow her brains out!” the operative screamed, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Dominic’s expression became a mask of pure, unadulterated slaughter. He didn't drop his gun. Instead, his eyes locked onto the operative with a terrifying, predator-like focus.
“You’re holding the wrong person hostage,” Dominic said softly, his voice cutting through the room like a razor.
“Shut up! Shut up or she dies!”
“Look at her feet,” Dominic murmured.
The operative glanced down for a fraction of a second—just long enough for Lily, drawing on the surprising survival instinct she had inherited from her mother, to stomp her heavy sneaker down with all her might onto the top of the man’s tactical boot, while simultaneously biting down hard on his glove-covered thumb.
The man howled in agony, his grip loosening on the gun and the blanket.
That single half-second was all Dominic needed.
BANG.
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The gunshot echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. The operative dropped instantly, the microchip slipping from his fingers and clattering onto the concrete floor.
I didn't wait for the ringing in my ears to stop. I sprinted across the room, scooping Lily up into my arms and crushing her against my chest, sobbing as I kissed her hair while she shook uncontrollably.
