Chapter 17 - The Final Gambit
Dominic returned to Rhode Island, weary and mourning his friend, believing the threat was finally neutralized with Valentin's death. But the drama was far from over. As he stepped into the safehouse, he was met with an eerie silence.
The guards at the entrance were unconscious, paralyzed by a sophisticated neurotoxin gas.
Dominic ran to the master suite, his heart in his throat. The room was in disarray. Silas lay wounded on the floor, clutching a gunshot wound to his shoulder. "It was a double-blind, boss," Silas groaned. "Valentin was just the distraction. The real mastermind... it’s Julian."
Julian Rossi, Dominic's exiled cousin, had used Valentin as a shield to draw Dominic away from the safehouse. Julian had never forgiven Dominic for taking control of the Rossi empire and exiling him. He didn't care about turf or money anymore; he wanted absolute ruin.
Claire and Harper were gone.
On the vanity table, Julian had left a video camera playing on a loop. The footage showed Claire and Harper tied to chairs in an unknown, industrial location. Claire was visibly in pain, clutching her stomach. The stress had triggered early labor.
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Julian’s voice came through the speakers: "You have two hours, Dominic. Come to the old iron foundry in Newark. Alone. If I see a single one of your men, I will cut the girl first, and then I will watch your wife lose your son."
Dominic felt a cold, calculating calm settle over his soul. The time for fear had passed. The beast inside him, the ruthless killer he had tried so hard to bury for Claire's sake, was fully unleashed. He grabbed his weapons, not as a man defending his honor, but as a father and husband hunting his prey.
