Collateral Hearts

Chapter 8: No Safe Haven

When the enemy is everywhere, nowhere is safe.

The explosion shattered the night, sending a wave of heat and debris into the air. The force knocked Elena backward, her ears ringing as she hit the ground. Smoke billowed into the sky, the flames casting an eerie glow over the alleyway.

Dominic was on her in an instant, his body shielding hers as another blast rocked the street. "Move!" he ordered, gripping her arm and pulling her behind a nearby vehicle.

Elena gasped for breath, her mind racing. That bomb—someone had been waiting for them. Someone had known exactly where they would be.

"Luca!" Dominic barked into his comm, his voice sharp with urgency. "Report. Now."

Luca’s voice crackled through the receiver. "No sign of the trigger man. But this wasn’t just a warning, boss. They were trying to take you both out."

Elena’s hands trembled as she clutched Dominic’s sleeve. "They knew we were coming. That means—"

"There’s a rat in our ranks," Dominic finished grimly.

Elena’s POV

My heart was still hammering as we sped away from the blast site, Dominic’s grip tight on the wheel. The tension in the car was suffocating, the silence louder than the explosion itself.

"That wasn’t just about me, was it?" I finally said, my voice unsteady.

Dominic’s jaw tightened. "No. Someone wants us both gone."

I swallowed hard, staring out the window. "This is getting worse. If they knew we’d be there, that means they’re watching us. All the time."

Dominic didn’t respond right away. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel. "We need to disappear. Tonight."

"Disappear? Where—"

"Somewhere off the grid. Somewhere no one, not even my own men, knows about."

I turned to him, my pulse quickening. "And you expect me to just run with you? To go into hiding like some fugitive?"

His eyes met mine, dark and unreadable. "You think you still have a choice, Elena? After tonight?"

Damn him. Because he was right. I didn’t have a choice anymore.

Dominic’s POV

Getting out of the city was the only option. The Moretti family had escalated things too far, and now there was no telling who else was gunning for them. If there was a mole feeding their movements to the enemy, staying put was a death sentence.

Elena was tense beside him, but she didn’t argue. That, more than anything, told him how much she understood the gravity of their situation.

He stole a glance at her—disheveled, shaken, but still holding her own. She was strong, stronger than most people he knew. And damn if that didn’t make him want her even more.

They drove for hours until they reached the outskirts of the city. A secluded cabin waited at the end of a dirt road, hidden beneath towering pines. It was one of Dominic’s safehouses—one of the few places no one else knew about.

"We’ll be safe here for now," he said as he parked.

Elena let out a slow breath. "Define ‘safe.’"

"No one knows about this place. No cameras. No phones. Just us."

She turned to him then, something flickering in her eyes—something he couldn’t quite place. "Just us?"

Damn it.

The weight of her words pressed against him. They were alone, trapped together in this war neither of them had wanted. And for the first time, Dominic realized the real danger wasn’t just outside those walls.

It was inside.

Between them.

Elena’s POV

The cabin was quiet, too quiet. The tension between us was thick, suffocating.

I watched Dominic as he moved around the small kitchen, checking weapons, securing the doors. He was always on guard, always prepared. It was his nature.

But what about me? What was my nature? I had spent my life avoiding danger, yet here I was—running, hiding, trusting a man who was supposed to be the villain of my story.

"You should get some rest," Dominic said, his voice rougher than usual.

I crossed my arms. "And you?"

"I’ll be here."

I hesitated. Then, before I could second-guess myself, I stepped closer. "Dominic."

He stilled.

I swallowed. "Why are you really doing this? Why are you trying to change things?"

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Because I don’t want to be the man my father was. Because I see what this world does to people. And because—"

He stopped himself, his gaze locking onto mine.

"Because of you, Elena."

My breath hitched.

Dominic took a slow step forward, closing the distance between us. His voice was barely a whisper. "Tell me to stop. And I will."

I should. I should tell him to stop, to keep his distance.

But I didn’t.

And when his lips met mine, I realized I had already crossed the line.