Chapter 9 - The Reckoning of Dominic Vance
With Marcus Hale in federal custody and singing like a canary to avoid a life sentence, the evidence against Dominic Vance quickly piled up.
The FBI launched a massive racketeering and conspiracy investigation into the Vance family. Within forty-eight hours, federal warrants were issued for Dominic’s arrest.
But Dominic Vance was not a man to go quietly.
Knowing his empire was collapsing, Dominic gathered his remaining loyal soldiers and launched a desperate, suicidal assault on the Vale estate.
It was a Tuesday night when the alarms began to wail.
Seraphina was in the third-floor suite when the sound of gunfire rattled the windows. She ran to the door, but Marco was already there, his face grim, a heavy submachine gun in his hands.
"Stay in the panic room, Ms. Hale," Marco ordered, pushing her toward the hidden steel door behind the closet. "Vance’s men are at the gates."
"Where is Ronan?" she cried.
"He’s downstairs," Marco said. "He’s ending this."
Inside the panic room, the silence was absolute. Seraphina sat on the small bench, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She could hear nothing of the battle raging outside, but her mind was filled with the terrifying possibility of losing Ronan.
She realized, with absolute certainty, that she loved him. She loved the monster who had pulled her out of the shadows, the king who had built a fortress to keep her safe, the man who had looked at her tears and asked, "Who hurt you?"
After what felt like an eternity, the heavy steel door of the panic room clicked and swung open.
Ronan stood in the doorway.
He was covered in dust, his shirt torn, a small cut bleeding on his cheek. But his eyes were clear, bright, and filled with a profound sense of peace.
He walked into the room and fell to his knees in front of her, burying his face in her lap.
"It's over, Seraphina," he whispered, his voice muffled by her dress. "Dominic Vance is dead. His men have surrendered. The war is finished."
Seraphina reached out, her fingers gently running through his dark hair, her tears falling onto his shoulders.
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"We are free?" she asked.
"We are free," Ronan said, looking up at her with a soft, beautiful smile. "The Vale Syndicate is being dismantled. I have spent the last three days transferring all our assets into legitimate holdings. No more shadows, Seraphina. No more crime. We are going to build a real life. Together."
