Chapter 6 - Into the Vault
Chaos descended upon the grand estate with terrifying speed. The soft hum of classical music that usually drifted through the hallways was replaced by the harsh, abrasive squawk of two-way radios and the heavy boots of armed security guards rushing to secure the perimeter doors.
Isabella stood frozen in the upper hallway, clutching Lily tightly to her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Suddenly, a tall, imposing security guard in a black tactical vest appeared at the top of the stairs. "Mrs. Isabella? Move. Now. Mr. Moretti’s orders."
"What’s happening?" Isabella gasped, her voice trembling as she followed the guard down the grand staircase.
"Hostile movement outside," the guard said grimly, his hand resting on the holster at his hip. "We’re heading to the safe room."
As they reached the ground floor, the heavy double doors of the study opened, and Dominic stepped out. He wasn't the grieving, brooding father anymore; he was the apex predator of the Boston underworld. A tactical vest was strapped over his white shirt, and a submachine gun hung from a sling across his chest.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Isabella and Lily rushing down the corridor, flanked by Leo, who was being guided down the stairs by Julian Vance.
Leo looked terrified. His small face was pale, his eyes wide with a fear far too heavy for a six-year-old child. When he saw Dominic clad in tactical gear, the boy let out a choked sob.
"Father!" Leo cried out, breaking away from Julian and running across the marble floor toward Dominic.
Dominic’s rigid posture faltered. He dropped to one knee, lowering his weapon, and caught his son in a fierce, desperate embrace, wrapping his arms around the boy’s small frame as if he could physically weld Leo to his own body.
"I've got you," Dominic whispered fiercely against Leo’s dark hair, his voice thick with unsphed tears. "I’ve got you, son. No one will ever touch you. I swear it on my life."
"Are you going to die?" Leo whispered into his father's shoulder, the question breaking every rule of the hardened underworld Dominic had tried to teach him.
Dominic pulled back, holding Leo’s face in his large, scarred hands, looking straight into his son’s eyes with absolute, unwavering conviction. "Never. I am never leaving you."
Isabella watched the scene unfold, a lump rising in her throat. Even in the middle of a warzone, the fragile bond between father and son was the only thing anchoring them both to reality.
"Dom, we don't have time," Julian urged, stepping into the hallway with his watch flashing in the dim emergency lighting. "The perimeter sensors on the western gate just tripped. They’re breaching the courtyard."
Dominic stood up instantly, his lethal focus returning. He gestured to the guard and Isabella. "Get them into the vault. Lock the steel bulkhead from the inside. Do not open it for anyone—do you hear me? Anyone—unless I give the passcode personally."
"And you?" Isabella asked, her voice cracking as she clutched Lily closer.
May you like
Dominic looked at her, his slate-grey eyes softening for a fraction of a second, carrying an unspoken weight that felt suspiciously like a final goodbye.
"I have a house to clean," Dominic said quietly.
