Chapter 7 - Shadows of the Past
Victory in court did not mean the absence of desperate retaliation.
Two weeks after the auction, as Christmas approached, Phillip Lawson’s criminal trial was formally scheduled for the spring. Facing fifteen years in federal prison for financial fraud and aggravated assault, Phillip’s mind snapped into a dangerous, chaotic desperation.
It was a snowy Thursday evening. Ellie was working late at the newly established office of the Hughes-Moretti Foundation on Grand Avenue. The office was cozy, decorated with a small Christmas tree and framed blueprints of the River East park project.
Dominic had stepped out thirty minutes earlier to meet with a port authority inspector down at Terminal 4.
Ellie was packing her leather briefcase when the front door chime rang.
"We’re closed for the evening," Ellie called out, stepping out of her inner office.
Standing near the glass entryway, drenched in melting snow and smelling heavily of cheap whiskey, was Phillip.
He had bypassed the downstairs security guard by using a stolen master keycard from his former management firm. In his right hand, tucked partially into his coat pocket, was the unmistakable shape of a small heavy object.
Ellie’s blood ran cold, but she did not scream. Her training with Dominic’s security protocols kicked in instantly. Her hand slid silently into her coat pocket, pressing the emergency panic button on her key fob.
"Phillip," Ellie said, keeping her voice level and standing behind the heavy oak reception desk. "You are violating your bail conditions. If the police arrive, your bail will be revoked immediately."
Phillip laughed—a high, unnatural, unhinged sound. "Bail? You think I care about bail, Ellie? My life is over! My company is liquidating! My friends won't take my calls! And it’s all because of you!"
He took three unsteadily steps closer, pulling a small silver revolver from his coat pocket.
Ellie’s heart hammered violently against her ribs, but she held her ground, looking him straight in the eye. "You destroyed your own life, Phillip. You chose to forge signatures. You chose to hit me. You chose to drive away."
"I made you!" Phillip shrieked, his arm trembling as he pointed the gun at her chest. "You were nothing before I married you! A quiet, plain librarian with no future! I gave you a home! I gave you an expensive life! And you threw it away for a mobster!"
"Dominic isn't a mobster," Ellie said calmly, stepping slowly to the left to put a thick marble pillar between herself and the barrel of the gun. "He’s a man who saved my life while you were driving away into the dark."
"Shut up!" Phillip screamed, taking another step forward. "You think he loves you? You think a man like Dominic Moretti wants a woman like you? He’s using you, Ellie! Once the trial is over and the publicity dies down, he’ll toss you aside just like I did!"
"He already proved who he is, Phillip," Ellie said softly, her eyes flashing with dangerous defiance. "And you proved who you are."
Phillip’s finger tightened on the trigger. "If I’m going to prison... you’re not getting his happy ending!"
Before he could pull the trigger, the glass front doors exploded inward.
A massive form launched across the reception lobby like a striking panther.
Dominic didn't shout. He didn't hesitate. He slammed into Phillip with brutal, devastating force, sending the gun flying across the hardwood floor where it skittered under a file cabinet.
Phillip hit the wall with a sickening thud, the air exploding from his lungs. Before he could hit the floor, Dominic had him by the throat, pinning him three feet off the ground against the plaster wall.
Dominic’s face was a mask of absolute, terrifying rage. His eyes were dark, his jaw set like iron, his large hand tightening around Phillip’s windpipe until the smaller man’s eyes rolled back in terror.
"Dominic! No!" Ellie cried out, rushing forward from behind the desk.
Dominic didn't look at her, his knuckles turning white as he held Phillip suspended. "He threatened your life, Ellie."
"He’s not worth it!" Ellie pleaded, placing her uninjured hand on Dominic’s massive arm. Her touch was warm, soft, and desperate. "If you kill him, he wins! He takes away your future! Don't do this for him, Dominic! Do it for us!"
The word us hung in the cold, winter air of the office.
Dominic froze.
His gray eyes shifted slowly from Phillip’s panicked, purple face to Ellie’s tear-filled eyes.
The terrifying rage in Dominic’s expression slowly receded, replaced by a profound, protective clarity. He pulled Phillip down and hurled him onto the floor, where the disgraced developer collapsed into a wheezing, sobbing heap.
Three seconds later, sirens wailed outside on Grand Avenue as four police cruisers screeched to a halt outside the building.
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Dominic stepped over Phillip’s shivering body, wrapping his long arms around Ellie, pulling her tight against his chest. She buried her face in his wool coat, shaking as the adrenaline washed out of her system.
"You're safe," Dominic whispered into her hair, his heart pounding like a war drum against her cheek. "I’m here. You're safe."
