Chapter 8 - The Siege of Mercer Manor
The rain poured heavily over Cal Mercer's heavily fortified estate on the outskirts of the city.
Inside the basement vault, Nora was tied to a wooden chair. Her cheek was bruised where Mercer had struck her when she refused to record a ransom video begging Dominic to surrender his territory.
Standing in the corner were Grant and Diane Hayes, nervously packing duffel bags full of Mercer's cash.
"You are monsters," Nora spat at her parents, her voice cold and ringing with contempt. "You aren't human."
"Shut up, Nora!" Grant barked, zipping his bag. "We gave you life! You owe us!"
"You didn't give me life," Nora countered, staring at Grant with total disgust. "You gave me a nightmare. But Dominic and those four beautiful children gave me a home. They are my real family. And when Dominic gets here, God won't save you from what he's going to do."
"Dominic Vale isn't coming, girl," Cal Mercer sneered, stepping into the vault with a cigar between his teeth. "My men have locked down every road leading to this property. He doesn't even know—"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the entire mansion. The stone ceiling cracked, showering the vault with dust and debris. Screams, automatic rifle fire, and the roar of exploding grenades echoed from the floors above.
The lights flickered and died, leaving only the red emergency backup lights pulsing through the haze.
Grant dropped his duffel bag, hyperventilating with fear. "What was that?!"
"He's here," Nora whispered, a triumphant smile breaking through her bruised lips.
The heavy steel vault door was literally blown off its hinges by a breaching charge. The iron slab crushed Mercer’s two bodyguards instantly as it crashed into the wall.
Through the thick cloud of smoke stepped Dominic Vale.
He was covered in ash and rain, his tactical vest stained with enemy blood, holding a shotgun in his hands. Behind him, Vale soldiers cleared the hallway with ruthless efficiency.
Cal Mercer grabbed Nora, pulling her in front of his chest and pressing a pistol against her temple. "Stay back, Vale! I'll blow her brains out!"
Dominic stopped ten feet away. His dark eyes didn't even look at the gun pointed at Nora's head. He looked straight into Mercer's eyes with a cold, terrifying stillness.
"If you move your finger one millimeter, Mercer," Dominic said softly, his voice echoing in the stone room, "I will skin you alive in front of your entire family."
Nora didn't wait for Dominic to act. She slammed her heavy heel onto Mercer's foot and drove her head backward into his nose.
CRACK!
Mercer howled in pain, his grip loosening as blood spurted from his broken nose.
Dominic moved with blinding speed. He closed the distance in a fraction of a second, grabbing Mercer's gun arm, twisting it until the bone snapped through the flesh, and driving his combat knife deep into Mercer's chest.
Mercer collapsed to the floor, lifeless.
Grant and Diane shrieked, pressing themselves against the back wall, dropping to their knees in terror. "Dominic! Please! We were forced! Mercer made us do it!" Grant begged, weeping hysterically.
Dominic didn't even raise his gun. He looked at them like they were bugs beneath his boots.
"Nora," Dominic said softly, turning to her and cutting her ropes with his knife. "What do you want me to do with them?"
Nora stood up, shaking off the ropes. She walked over to her parents, looking down at the two people who had spent her entire life using her, selling her, and betraying her.
"They aren't worth your bullets, Dominic," Nora said quietly, her voice full of absolute strength. "Strip them of everything they own. Take every penny they have. Leave them with nothing... just like they left me."
Dominic nodded to his lieutenants. "You heard her. Put them on a boat out of this country. If they ever set foot in North America again, shoot them on sight."
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Grant and Diane sobbed as they were dragged away into the dark, completely ruined and forgotten.
Dominic turned back to Nora, pulling her into a desperate, ferocious embrace, holding her as if he would never let her go again. "I've got you, my love," he whispered into her hair. "It's over. You're safe."
