Chapter 7 - Blood on the Cobblestones
While Belle was fighting inside the house, Dominic’s SUV was tearing through the rain-drenched streets of Boston at ninety miles per hour.
His phone rang. It was Marco, his chief security officer.
"Boss!" Marco roared over the static. "It was a setup! The dock meeting was a distraction! Rossini turned! They cut the power at Hanover Street—"
Dominic didn't wait to hear the rest. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, running three red lights, his dark eyes burning with an apocalyptic rage.
"If they touch her..." Dominic growled, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel, "I will burn this entire city to the ground."
Ten minutes later, Dominic’s convoy smashed through the wrought-iron gates of his own estate.
The courtyard was a warzone. Two of Rossini's men lay incapacitated near the fountain.
Dominic kicked open his car door, pulling two black handguns from his shoulder holsters, rushing through the front doors of his home.
He burst into the nursery wing.
On the floor lay Julian Ashford, unconscious and bleeding heavily from a broken jaw. Beside him lay a crowbar.
Standing near the balcony door—the very same balcony layout where Micah had saved Sienna weeks ago—was Belle.
Her dress was torn at the shoulder, her knuckles bloody, standing over a third knocked-out attacker. She was holding a heavy iron floor lamp like a spear, shielding Micah and Sienna who were huddled behind her in the corner.
Dominic stopped dead in his tracks.
His chest heaved. He looked at the fallen men, then at Belle, who was panting heavily, her blue eyes blazing with a fierce, lethal light that rivaled any soldier he had ever commanded.
Belle looked up, seeing Dominic standing in the doorway.
The iron lamp slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the floor. The adrenaline that had sustained her suddenly drained away, her knees giving out beneath her.
Before she could hit the floor, Dominic was there.
He caught her in his arms, lifting her effortlessly against his chest, wrapping his massive arms around her as if she were the most precious jewel in the world.
"I have you," Dominic choked out, his voice cracking with an emotion he could no longer hide. "I have you, Belle. You're safe."
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Belle buried her face in his neck, sobbing softly as his warm scent washed over her. "They... they tried to take the children, Dominic..."
"I know," Dominic whispered, kissing her forehead, his eyes dark with a promise of absolute vengeance. "They will never try again."
