Chapter 6 - THE DETONATOR
The blare of the security alarms vibrated in Norah’s teeth.
Red strobe lights spun across the walls of the office, painting Dominic’s face in harsh, bloody angles.
“Status!” Dominic roared at the three enforcers.
One of them pressed an earpiece deep into his ear, his face paling. “Perimeter breach. North and South gates are down. At least thirty armed men moving on the main house. It’s a syndicate purge, boss. They’re wiping us off the board.”
Marcus laughed from the floor, a wet, rattling sound. “You got soft, Dom. A boss with a weakness is a dead boss.”
Dominic didn’t waste a bullet finishing Marcus off. He grabbed Norah by the arm and hauled her to her feet.
“Where is Lily?” Dominic demanded, his eyes wide with a terror Norah had never seen in him.
“In the library. In the air vent,” Norah gasped, clutching her stomach. The pain in her back was becoming a steady, agonizing band of pressure.
“We have to move. Now.”
Dominic kept himself between Norah and the door, his weapon raised. They rushed into the hallway.
The sounds of automatic gunfire echoed from the lower levels. The smell of sulfur and smoke was already drifting up the grand staircase.
They reached the library. Dominic tore the doors open.
“Lily!” Norah cried out.
The vent grate pushed open, and Lily scrambled out, crying silently. Dominic scooped the four-year-old up in one arm, holding his gun in the other. He pressed a kiss to her messy curls.
“I’ve got you, Bug. I’m right here,” he murmured.
He turned to Norah. “The cars are useless. They’ll have the garage locked down. We take the service tunnels. They lead out to the old aqueduct.”
They ran toward the kitchen, dodging through the shadows of the massive house.
Norah stumbled. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through her abdomen. She cried out, dropping to one knee, clutching the marble counter of the kitchen island.
“Norah!” Dominic skidded to a halt.
“I can’t,” she sobbed, breathing heavily. “The stress... the baby is dropping. I can feel it.”
Dominic’s face went completely white. For the first time in his life, the ruthless cartel boss looked entirely helpless. He couldn’t fight thirty men and carry a woman in active, premature labor.
“You have to keep moving,” Dominic said, pulling her up. “I will carry you if I have to.”
Before they could reach the door to the basement, heavy footsteps echoed in the dining room.
Five men in tactical gear stepped into the kitchen, their assault rifles raised.
At the center of the group was a man Norah recognized from the news. Carlo Moretti. The head of the rival family.
“Dominic Russo,” Carlo smiled, stepping forward. “Running away? That doesn’t seem fitting for the king of the city.”
Dominic pushed Norah behind him, shielding both her and Lily with his body.
“Carlo,” Dominic said coldly. “You breached a family compound. The high council will have your head for this.”
“The high council authorized it,” Carlo chuckled. “Marcus provided us with proof that you were planning to testify against the syndicate. A forged FBI file, of course, but the council didn’t care to look too closely. They just wanted an excuse to take your territory.”
Carlo raised his hand. He was holding a small black remote.
A detonator.
“The foundation of this house is wired with C4,” Carlo said softly. “You have exactly two minutes to surrender, Dom. Surrender, and I let the child go. You die, but your daughter lives. That’s a generous offer.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. He looked back at Norah.
In his eyes, she saw the complete and absolute surrender of a man who was saying goodbye.
“Take Lily,” Dominic whispered to Norah.
“No,” Norah said, her voice shaking but fiercely defiant.
She stepped out from behind Dominic.
She unbuttoned the thick wool sweater, letting it fall open to reveal the unmistakable curve of her pregnant stomach.
“You can’t kill him, Carlo,” Norah said loudly, her voice echoing in the kitchen.
May you like
Carlo frowned, lowering the detonator slightly. “And who are you?”
“I’m the mother of his heir,” Norah said.
