Chapter 194 

Dominic’s POV 

The silence from the tablet was more terrifying than any threat Nico could have made. One moment I could hear Aria’s voice, could see her face on the screen, and then–nothing. Just dead air and the echo of my own rage bouncing off the warehouse walls. 

I pulled out my phone and sent a quick message to Luca: Move in. Now. 

The red laser dots on my chest wavered as my snipers realized something had changed. Good. Let them wonder. 

“Technical difficulties?” I called up to Nico, who was staring at his own device with growing frustration. 

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he replied, but I could hear the tension in his voice. His perfect performance was falling apart, and we both knew it. 

I started walking deeper into the warehouse, my footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Each step brought me closer to wherever Aria was being held, and farther from Nico’s carefully prepared kill zone. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Nico’s voice followed me, but he stayed on his perch. Coward. 

“To end this.” 

The first explosion came from the north wall–Luca’s team making their entrance with about as much subtlety as a freight train. The concussion shook dust from the rafters and sent the snipers scrambling for new positions. 

I dropped into a crouch behind a concrete pillar as gunfire erupted throughout the building. My men were good, but Nico had home field advantage. This was going to get bloody fast. 

A figure dropped from the shadows above–one of Nico’s men rappelling down from the catwalks. I put two rounds center mass before he hit the ground. The Glock’s report was lost in the symphony of violence that had erupted around us. 

“You brought backup!” Nico’s voice was shrill now, the careful control completely gone. “The deal was you come alone!” 

“I lied.” I moved to the next pillar, keeping low. “Amazing how easy it is when you don’t have a conscience.” 

More gunfire. The distinctive crack of Santos’s rifle meant my sniper had found his mark. One less problem to worry about. 

I keyed my radio. “Luca, report.” 

“Heavy resistance on the north side. Lost Tommy in the initial breach. These bastards were ready for us.” 

My jaw clenched. Tommy had been with me for three years. Good man. Good soldier. Another debt Nico would pay. 

A movement to my left caught my attention–muzzle flash from behind a stack of shipping containers. I returned fire, heard a scream, then silence. The containers provided good cover, but they also created blind spots. I used them, moving fast and staying low. 

“Santos, do you have eyes on Nico?” 

“Negative. Target’s gone mobile. Last seen heading toward the east stairwell.” 

Of course he was running. Nico always was better at planning than executing. 

I reached the base of the stairwell and started climbing. The metal steps rang under my boots, advertising my position to anyone listening, but stealth was no longer an option. Every second I spent in this game of cat and mouse was another second Aria was suffering. 

The second floor was a maze of offices and storage rooms. Perfect place for an ambush. I moved carefully, checking corners, watching for trip wires or pressure plates. Nico was too smart to leave his flanks unguarded. 

08:05 Wed,” 

Chapter 194 

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My radio crackled. “Boss, we’ve got a problem.” 

“Talk to me, Luca.” 

“Found three of Nico’s men in the basement. All dead. Looks like they’ve been that way for hours.” 

I stopped moving. “Say that again.” 

“They’re cold, boss. Whatever happened down here, it happened long before we showed up.” 

The pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity. Nico hadn’t been waiting for me to arrive–he’d been preparing to leave. The whole standoff, the video calls, the dramatic speeches–it had all been theater. A distraction while he cleaned up loose ends and prepared his exit strategy. 

Which meant Aria wasn’t here. 

“Luca, sweep the building. Find me anything that tells us where they’ve gone.” 

“Copy that.” 

I continued up the stairs, but my mind was racing. If Nico had moved Aria, where would he take her? Somewhere he felt safe. Somewhere he could control the variables. 

The third floor was darker than the others, most of the windows boarded up or painted black. I used my phone’s flashlight to navigate, keeping the Glock ready in my other hand. 

A soft click made me freeze. 

I’d found Nico’s present. 

The pressure plate under my foot was connected to enough C–4 to level half the building. One wrong move and I’d be nothing but a red smear on the 

walls. 

“Clever,” I muttered, examining the device. Military grade, professionally installed. Nico had definitely been planning this for a while. 

The trick with pressure plates was that they were designed to trigger when weight was removed, not applied. As long as I kept my foot exactly where it was, I had time to think. 

My radio buzzed. “Boss, you need to see this.” 

“Kind of busy, Luca.” 

“We found Rodriguez in one of the back rooms. Throat cut. But there’s something else.” 

“What?” 

“Blood. A lot of it. Fresh. And signs of a struggle.” 

My blood turned to ice. “Aria?” 

“Maybe. There’s a tablet here, screen’s cracked but still functional. Looks like there was a live feed running.” 

Nico had been torturing her here, in this building, while I was standing in his kill zone trading threats. The realization hit me like a physical blow. 

“Any sign of where they went?” 

“Working on it. Found tire tracks outside, looks like multiple vehicles.” 

I carefully examined the bomb at my feet, Simple design, probably a ten–second delay once triggered. Enough time to sprint for the stairs if I was lucky. 

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Chapter 104 

Or I could disarm it. Cut the right wire, remove the threat entirely. 

The problem was, I’d never been much good with explosives. That had always been Tommy’s specialty. 

Tommy, who was dead because I’d walked us into Nico’s trap. 

I pulled out my knife and studied the wiring. Red wire, blue wire, green wire. One of them would disarm the device. The other two would turn me into 

paste. 

My phone rang. Unknown number. 

“Dominic.” My voice was steady despite the circumstances. 

“Enjoying my little surprise?” Nico’s laughter was manic, unhinged. “I do hope you’re being careful where you step.” 

“Where is she?” 

“Close. But not close enough for you to matter.” His voice shifted, became more serious. “You want to know the beautiful thing about this whole situation? Even if you somehow survive the next few minutes, even if you track me down, you’ll be too late.” 

“Too late for what?” 

“To save her. To save yourself. To stop what’s already been set in motion.” Nico’s breathing was heavy, excited. “You see, while you’ve been playing soldier boy, I’ve been making arrangements. New arrangements.” 

The line went dead. 

I looked down at the bomb, then at the stairs leading back to ground level. Ten seconds wasn’t much time, but it might be enough. 

I took a deep breath and stepped off the pressure plate. 

The world exploded. 

The blast threw me forward, my body slamming into the wall hard enough to crack ribs. Fire and debris rained down as the floor collapsed beneath me. I fell through to the second level, then the first, landing hard on concrete that felt like it was trying to break every bone in my body. 

My ears were ringing, my vision blurred, but I was alive. Somehow. 

“Boss!” Luca’s voice sounded like it was coming from underwater, “Boss, can you hear me?” 

I tried to speak, coughed up blood instead. Something was definitely broken inside. Maybe several somethings. 

“I’m… here,” I managed. 

“We’ve got intel on where they went. Santos found a GPS tracker in one of the vehicles. They’re heading for the docks.” 

I forced myself to stand, ignoring the screaming protest from my ribs. The docks meant boats. Boats meant Nico could disappear with Aria, take her anywhere in the world. 

“How long ago?” 

“Twenty minutes, maybe thirty.” 

I stumbled toward the exit, Luca supporting my weight. The warehouse was a ruin behind us, smoke and flames reaching toward the sky. Three of my men were dead, and Nico was still out there with the woman I loved. 

As we reached the cars, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t called in years. 

“Julian.” 

Chapter 194 

“Dominic? Jesus, you sound like hell.” 

“I need the boat. The fast one.” 

“What’s happening?” 

“Nico has Aria. He’s heading for the water.” 

There was a pause. “I’ll meet you at the marina. Ten minutes.” 

I ended the call and looked back at the burning warehouse. Nico thought he’d won. Thought he’d broken me. 

He was about to learn how wrong he was. 

“Nico won’t walk away from this alive,” I growled, blood still dripping from my mouth