Chapter 38 - The Collapse of the Berlin Shadow
“What have you done?” Reinhardt hissed, his diplomatic composure finally shattering as he realized the trap. He lunged toward his secure satellite phone, but Dominic crossed the stone floor in two massive strides, grabbing Reinhardt by the collar and slamming him against the damp stone wall.
“Your career is over, Reinhardt,” Dominic whispered, his face inches from the terrified bureaucrat. “Your syndicate’s accounts have just been frozen by the European Central Bank. Your operatives are locked in a Palermo cell. And you are standing in my territory with nowhere to run.”
Sirens wailed in the distance—not Rossi guards this time, but international federal police units tipped off by our anonymous data dump, arriving just in time to collect the disgraced German director and his team.
As flashing red and blue lights illuminated the winding coastal road below the lighthouse, Salvatore radioed back to the car.
“Boss, federal authorities are pulling up to the perimeter. Reinhardt is bagged.”
Dominic released his grip, letting Reinhardt slide down the stone wall in defeat. Dominic turned, walking back out into the cool night air toward the Alfa Romeo.
When he slid into the passenger seat, I looked over at him, my heart finally settling back into a normal rhythm.
“Well,” I breathed, offering a small, triumphant smile. “That’s one way to handle an audit.”
Dominic turned toward me, his dark eyes burning with absolute, fierce adoration. He reached out, taking my face in his warm hands, and pulled me across the console into a deep, consuming kiss that tasted like victory and salt air.
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“You are out of your mind, Nora Hayes,” he whispered against my lips when we finally broke apart. “You just dismantled a European intelligence syndicate from a laptop in a parked car.”
“Rule three,” I smiled, resting my forehead against his. “Whatever you tell me to do, I do it. But sometimes, I rewrite the rules entirely.”
