“Oh my God. Who did this to you?” Elena’s voice cracked as the flashlight trembled in her hand.

Elena’s entire world shattered into cold, terrifying fragments. She clutched the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white, her breathing ragged and shallow.

"Marcus," Elena choked out, her voice rising into a panicked scream. "Don't touch him! Please! He's just six years old! He has nothing to do with this!"

On the sofa, Dominic sat up instantly, his gray eyes locking onto Elena’s terrified face.

"Calm down, Elena," Marcus’s voice oozed through the speaker, pleasant and utterly ruthless. "I’m not a monster. I don't hurt children... unless their mothers force me to. You took something that belongs to me. You took my brother."

"He’s dying!" Elena sobbed, tears spilling over her eyelashes. "He’s bleeding to death! Leave my son out of this!"

"Bring Dominic to the old crane shipyard on Pier 4 by midnight," Marcus commanded flatly, his polite tone vanishing, replaced by razor-sharp malice. "Bring him alone. If I see a single police cruiser, or if you aren't there by midnight, I will hand your son over to my men in South America. You will never see his face again."

The line went dead.

Elena dropped the phone onto the desk. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently as agonizing sobs tore from her chest. "Noah... oh God, Noah..."

Dominic was on his feet instantly. Ignoring the blinding pain in his ribs, he walked across the small office and pulled Elena into his arms.

"Listen to me, Elena," Dominic spoke directly into her ear, his voice rock-solid, filled with an immovable, iron authority. "Look at me!"

Elena pulled back, her eyes red and frantic. "He has my baby, Dominic! He has Noah!"

"He wants me," Dominic said, gripping her shoulders firmly. "Marcus doesn't care about your son. Noah is just leverage to force me out of hiding. Marcus knows if he kills me without those biometric keys, the board will freeze the entire empire, and he gets nothing."

"We have to give him the keys!" Elena cried. "Give him the money, give him the company, give him whatever he wants!"

"I’m going to give him something else," Dominic said, his dark eyes burning with lethal determination. "I’m going to give him a funeral."

Dominic walked over to the desk, picked up the Glock pistol, and checked the magazine. He looked at Elena with total, absolute resolve.

"Marcus thinks he’s holding all the cards because he has a six-year-old boy," Dominic said softly. "He doesn't know that he just made the biggest mistake of his life. He brought a mother into a war."