Chapter 7 - The Sacrifice
The heavy steel door of the panic room opened with a soft hiss.
Maya stepped out into the dark wine cellar, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, but her steps were firm. She walked up the stone stairs, through the smoke-filled corridors, until she reached the balcony overlooking the grand foyer.
Below, Dominic and Julian were in a tense standoff, weapons trained on each other, surrounded by dead men and shattered marble.
“Julian!” Maya’s voice rang out through the ruined hall, clear, steady, and defiant.
Every weapon in the foyer instantly shifted upward, pointing directly at her.
Dominic’s head snapped up. When he saw Maya standing on the balcony, his face went deathly pale—palar than when he had faced a dozen armed men.
“Maya!” Dominic roared, his voice cracking with pure agony. “Get back! Get back to the room!”
“No, Dominic,” Maya said softly, looking down at him with an unconditional warmth that shattered his heart. “I won't let them destroy your home.”
Julian Moretti laughed—a dry, cruel sound that echoed off the high ceiling. “Well, well. The brave little college student steps out of her hole. You’ve caused me a lot of trouble, girl.”
Maya slowly walked down the grand marble staircase, stepping over debris, keeping her eyes locked on Julian.
“I’m the one you want,” Maya said, stopping ten feet from Julian. “Let Dominic’s men go. Disarm the explosives. Take me.”
“Maya, NO!” Dominic screamed, stepping forward, but two of Julian’s mercenaries instantly leveled assault rifles at Dominic’s chest.
“One move, Valenti, and we turn her into Swiss cheese,” Julian warned, his finger resting lightly on the detonator trigger.
Julian turned to Maya, eyeing her with cold amusement. “You really think you’re a hero, don't you? A broke nobody playing guardian angel for a monster like Dominic Valenti?”
“He isn't a monster to the people who love him,” Maya said fiercely, staring Julian down without a single tremor of fear. “And you are nothing compared to him.”
Julian’s amusement vanished, replaced by a dark, ugly rage. He raised his pistol, pointing it directly between Maya’s eyes.
“Then die like a hero,” Julian spat.
Time seemed to slow down.
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Dominic didn't think. He didn't care about the rifles pointed at his chest. He didn't care about the explosives. In that split second, the world narrowed down to one single truth: Maya Santos was his entire life.
With a primal roar, Dominic lunged forward.
