Chapter 9 - The Trial by Fire
The silence that followed was broken only by my ragged sobs and the drumming of the rain on the roof.
I was curled on the concrete, trembling uncontrollably, my hands still bound behind me.
Suddenly, warm, strong arms wrapped around me. Dominic dropped to his knees, ignoring the pool of rainwater and blood, pulling me tightly against his broad chest.
“Lily,” he breathed, his voice breaking—truly breaking—for the first time. “Lily, look at me. It’s over. You’re safe.”
He pulled a tactical knife from his boot and sliced the zip-ties from my wrists. The moment my hands were free, I buried my face into his soaking wet shirt, weeping against his chest while his large hands stroked my hair, holding me as if I were made of porcelain.
“You walked,” I cried, clutching his lapels. “Dominic... you walked for me.”
“I’d tear down heaven and burn hell to the ground for you,” he murmured, kissing the top of my head, his heartbeat hammering fiercely against my ear.
Suddenly, a faint, metallic click echoed from the far catwalk above the office mezzanine.
Dominic’s instincts flared instantly. Without a second’s hesitation, he twisted his body, throwing his massive frame over mine to shield me completely.
*BANG.*
A rifle bullet tore through the air.
Dominic grunted, a sharp intake of breath escaping his lips as the heavy caliber round grazed the meat of his left shoulder, tearing through his coat and drawing a line of fire and crimson.
High above us on the metal gantry stood Victoria Hayes.
Her expensive clothes were filthy, her hair wild, her eyes hollow and completely unhinged. She had escaped from the holding facility during the chaos of Marcus’s betrayal, armed with a hunting rifle.
“YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!” Victoria screamed, racking the bolt of the rifle with trembling hands. “You were supposed to drown! You were supposed to leave me the empire! And you—you little gutter rat! You stole my life!”
She aimed the rifle straight at my head.
Dominic didn't flinch. Despite the blood soaking his shoulder, he drew his Kimber with his right hand in one seamless motion.
*Crack.*
The single shot echoed through the rafters.
Victoria’s eyes went wide. The rifle slipped from her fingers, clattering over the railing, followed a second later by her body as she plummeted twenty feet, landing lifeless onto the concrete below.
The last ghost of the Hayes syndicate was gone.
Dominic exhaled slowly, lowering his weapon. He swayed slightly, the strain of walking, fighting, and the bullet graze finally taking its physical toll on his recovering spine.
I scrambled up, wrapping my arms around his waist to support him. “Lean on me! Dominic, lean on me!”
He looked down at me, a soft, weary smile touching his lips despite the blood dripping down his arm.
“Two days ago, I was in a wheelchair, and you were swimming under twelve feet of water,” Dominic chuckled softly, his voice thick with emotion. “Now look at us. You’re holding up the king of Chicago.”
“Always,” I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks as I kissed his stubbled cheek. “As long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever, Lily,” Dominic vowed, his eyes burning with absolute truth. “Forever.”
From outside the warehouse, the wail of sirens finally filled the night air as Arthur arrived with forty loyal cars, illuminating the dark river in brilliant red and blue.
May you like
The war was won.
***
