Chapter 8 - Blood and Iron
Pier 4 was a massive, decaying warehouse surrounded by rusted shipping containers and the dark, treacherous waters of the East River.
Inside, Briar was tied securely to a steel chair under a buzzing halogen light. Corbin Vance stood in front of her, a cruel, mocking smile playing on his bruised face, while Don Marco Luciano sat on a wooden crate nearby, surrounded by twelve heavily armed men.
"Look at you," Corbin sneered, striking Briar across the face with the back of his hand. "Living like a queen in a penthouse while I had to hide in the shadows for three years! You think a Mafia boss cares about you, Briar? You're just a toy to him!"
Briar spat blood onto the concrete floor, looking up at Corbin with cold, fearless contempt. "Damien is twice the man you'll ever be. And when he gets here, he's going to tear you apart."
"He won't get the chance," Luciano laughed, stroking his assault rifle. "He'll walk through those doors alone to save his little whore, and my men will riddle him with lead."
BOOM!
The heavy steel loading bay doors didn't just open—they were blown off their hinges by a explosive breaching charge.
Smoke filled the warehouse. Before the mercenaries could fire, a massive grey shadow leapt through the flaming debris.
ROAR!
Titan landed directly on Luciano’s lead lieutenant, his massive jaws crushing the man's shoulder as he dragged him to the ground.
"Kill the dog! KILL THE DOG!" Luciano screamed, firing wildly into the smoke.
From the fog stepped Damien Ashworth. He didn't take cover. He walked forward like the Grim Reaper, two silver handguns blazing with terrifying precision. Every shot found its mark—headshots, heart shots—mercenaries dropped like autumn leaves.
Behind him, Viktor and fifty Ashworth soldiers flooded the warehouse, unleashing a wall of lead that completely decimated the Luciano forces.
Corbin panicked. Seeing his guards wiped out in seconds, he drew a hunting knife and grabbed Briar from behind, pressing the cold steel against her throat.
"STOP! STAY BACK!" Corbin shrieked, backing toward the edge of the pier platform above the deep ocean water. "I'll cut her throat, Ashworth! I swear to God I'll kill her!"
Damien stopped ten feet away. His guns lowered slightly, his eyes locking onto Corbin with a fury so intense it made the coward's knees shake.
"Put the knife down, Corbin," Damien said softly. "And I might let you live long enough to reach the ambulance."
"You think I'm stupid?!" Corbin screamed, raising the knife to strike.
Titan lunged.
The hundred-and-fifty-pound mastiff launched himself off a shipping container, slamming his massive chest into Corbin's back. The force broke Corbin’s grip, sending the knife clattering across the floor.
Briar fell forward, and Damien caught her instantly, pulling her behind his armored coat.
Corbin stumbled backward over the rusted guardrail, screaming as he plummeted sixty feet into the icy, churning currents of the East River below, vanishing beneath the dark waves.
Silence fell over the warehouse.
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Damien dropped his weapons, falling to his knees and wrapping his arms around Briar, burying his face in her hair. "I have you," he rasped, his voice shaking with raw, uncharacteristic emotion. "I have you, little bird."
Briar held him tight, sobbing against his neck, while Titan trotted over and rested his heavy head over both of their laps.
