Chapter 119
Chapter 119
I bit my lips as I walked behind him, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Dominic moved stiffly but fast, the gun held low at his side, every step brimming with lethal intent. The rain outside the reinforced windows had thickened, turning into a relentless drumbeat that filled the silence.
I stayed close, close enough to feel the tension radiating off him like static.
He yanked open the door-
And Luca Valenti stood there, bone dry under the overhang, a casual tilt to his mouth like he wasn’t standing in the middle of a damn war.
“Sir,” he said calmly, glancing briefly at me before focusing back on Dominic. “Do you need anything? Food? Clothes? Medical?”
Dominic’s shoulders relaxed by an inch. He tucked the gun back into his waistband. “We’re good for now.”
Luca’s mouth twitched like he didn’t quite believe that but wasn’t going to argue. His sharp eyes flicked between us again, reading the blood on Dominic’s bandages, the strain in my face. He nodded once.
“There’s something else,” Luca added, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a slim, cream–colored envelope, sealed with an insignia I didn’t recognize.
Dominic snatched it from him, tearing it open with one brutal flick of his fingers.
I stepped closer to see too, ignoring the way Luca’s gaze narrowed slightly at my movement.
Dominic unfolded the single sheet of thick, expensive paper. His eyes scanned it, unreadable.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
He didn’t answer at first. His jaw tightened, muscles flexing under the blood–stained bandage. Then he handed the letter to me without a word.
I read it fast, my hands trembling.
… Dominic,
I regret how things have escalated between us. Emotions got out of control. I believe there’s still room for peace between our families.
Meet me tomorrow. Neutral ground. No weapons. Just words.
You choose the time. I’ll choose the place.
Mikael.
I stared at the letter, the words sinking in slowly.
Mikael.
The man who had bombed Dominic’s properties. Killed his men. Nearly killed me. Now he was writing like this was some polite disagreement between businessmen.
“He’s insane,” I muttered.
Dominic gave a low, humorless laugh. “No. He’s calculating.”
Luca shifted his weight slightly. “It could be a trap.”
“It is a trap,” Dominic said, voice colder than the rain. “But it’s a trap I might have to walk into.”
I looked up at him, panic rising. “You’re not seriously thinking of going?”
He met my gaze, something fierce and resigned burning in those dark eyes.
“If I don’t,” he said quietly, “he’ll keep coming. He’ll keep sending bombs and bullets until there’s nothing left.”
“And if you do?” I asked.
He smiled grimly. “Then I kill him face–to–face.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
Luca glanced at his watch. “We’ll sweep the area if he gives us a location tonight, we can prep it before sunrise.”
Dominic nodded. “Send Matteo too. I want eyes
Successfully unlocked!
Luca left with a crisp nod, boots thudding softly against the floor.
I stood there, gripping the letter, watching Dominic’s face.
“Don’t go,” I said before I could stop myself.
1/3
Chapter 119
He looked at me, something almost tender crossing his brutal features.
“I have to,” he murmured.
I clenched the paper in my hand.
Because I knew–deep in my gut–that if he walked into Mikael’s game, the next bullet might not just graze him.
It might bury him.
Dominic stood in front of me, broad, unyielding, like he could take every blow the world threw at him and still come out on top. But even steel breaks if you bend it long enough. Even kings bleed when no one’s left to protect the throne.
“I’ll go with you,” I said suddenly, my voice too sharp, too loud in the tight, heavy room.
His head snapped toward me, brow furrowed deep. “No.”
“You need me.”
He shook his head once, slow and final. “You need to stay safe.”
I stepped closer, crushing the letter in my fist. “You need someone you can trust at your back, Dominic”
Something flashed in his eyes–pain, guilt, pride–but he turned away, grabbing the black duffel from the corner and yanking it open. Inside, weapons gleamed under the muted light.
“You’re not coming. End of discussion.”
He didn’t say it cruelly. He didn’t bark it like an order. He said it like it cost him something.
I crossed my arms, stubborn to my bones. “You’re not invincible.”
He paused, a pistol halfway tucked into his belt. His back stiffened.
“No,” he said finally, voice low. “I’m not. But if anything happens to you because of me-” he turned, eyes black with something terrible, something desperate, “-I’ll never forgive myself.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the exhaustion on his face stopped me cold.
Not just physical exhaustion.
Soul deep. Bone deep.
Dominic De Luca wasn’t just fighting Mikael. He was fighting himself, too.
I swallowed my words and took a small step back. “Fine.”
His shoulders sagged a little, like he’d been bracing for a war.
But inside, deep down, I already knew.
I wasn’t staying behind.
Whether Dominic liked it or not, I wasn’t going to let him walk into that trap alone.
I watched him finish loading up, checking the clips, securing the extra knives under his jacket. His movements were mechanical, practiced, but I could see the tension in every line of his body.
When he finally slung the bag over his shoulder and stalked out of the room, I stood there, heart thudding.
I needed to think. To move.
I turned down the hall, my bare feet silent on the cold tile as I made my way to the bedroom they’d set up for me in the safehouse. The walls were simple bare. No pictures, no memories. Just cold, practical furniture meant for survival, not comfort.
I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, pressing my forehead to the wood.
Emilia.
The thought hit me like a stone to the chest.
Where was she?
I hadn’t seen her since before the mansion was bombed. She was supposed to be helping. Watching. Serving Dominic like she always did. But…
What if she wasn’t loyal anymore?
A chill raced down my spine.
I thought about how easily Mikael’s men had gotten inside the house. About the way Emilia’s hands sometimes trembled when she thought no one was looking. About the whispered conversations she had on burner phones she thought I didn’t notice.
She’s working for Mikael.
