His Rose in the Dark

Chapter Four– The Blood They Claim

DOMINIC'S PENTHOUSE – WAR ROOM

"The gates are down," Matteo snarled, reloading his gun.

Dominic's eyes were glacial steel. "Enzo and Luca both? That's not a breach, that's an invasion"

I was caught up in the middle of the chaos, heart racing and mind screaming. Luca was supposed to be on my side. My blood and now he was fighting me.

"I need to talk to him" I said.

No." Dominic's voice broke like thunder "If he sees you, it'll be at gunpoint to your head."

"He's not the enemy!"

"He is," Dominic snarled. "The minute he aligned himself with Enzo, he opted for blood over truth."

I put myself between him and the hallway. "And you? What have you opted for?"

He didn't reply.

Because he knew.

He'd opted for me.

And that terrified the hell out of both of us.

PENTHOUSE – HALLWAY, TEN MINUTES LATER

Gunshots reverberated down the east corridor. Matteo dragged me behind him, with Dominic at the front.

"Where's Enzo?" Dominic shouted over the gunshots.

"North wing," one of the guards panted. "He's using Luca as bait—they're after the girl."

"Rose is behind me" Dominic snarled "Anyone who lays a hand on her is dead"

The guard nodded and took off but i grabbed him.

"Hold on, did Luca fire at anyone?"

He hesitated "Not yet. He's been...wavering."

I swallowed hard.

There was still hope.

A small, fragile, burning chance.

DOMINIC'S PRIVATE ARMORY – A FEW MOMENTS LATER

Slipped away when they weren't looking.

Stole a sidearm from the table. Light. Quiet.

Dominic was going to kill me for this.

But if I didn't take out Luca now, someone else would kill him before I could get to him.

And I couldn't let that happen—not again.

NORTH WING – BROKEN GLASS, BLOOD ON MARBLE

I scooped him up in the smoking hallway.

Gun held in his hand. Pale face.

He looked up the instant I came into view.

"Rose."

"Put it down, Luca."

He did.

Without flinching.

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded.

His hands were trembling. "Because I saw the truth. I saw what he's hiding."

"I know what he's hiding. So what now? You take me to Enzo and hand over the Mendez heir like some war trophy?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it?"

"I wanted to save you before they controlled you," Luca said. "But maybe it's too late."

"No," I said, advancing towards him. "You're still my brother."

"Half-brother," he muttered.

That hurt more than I let show.

"I don't care whose blood I carry in my veins," I panted. "I care about the people who have died for me. You were one of them."

He gazed at me, his eyes wide. "Rose…"

Past him, I could see the shadow.

A man with Enzo’s gait.

Gun raised.

“Luca—GET DOWN!”

I shoved him hard.

Too late.

BLOOD – GUNSHOT – CHAOS

Luca hit the floor, groaning.

I dropped beside him, hands soaked in red.

Enzo stepped out, smirking. “Sentimental, aren’t we?”

I stood slowly, placing myself between him and my brother.

“Shoot me and Dominic will burn your entire bloodline to the ground.”

Enzo laughed. “Who says I’m shooting you?”

He pointed the gun at Luca.

“Step aside.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled. "Fine. I'll shoot around you."

"Do it," I gasped.

His finger lifted.

And then bang.

But not from Enzo's gun.

He stumbled back.

A bullet wound in his chest.

Dominic appeared behind him, gun still smoking.

"Touch her again and i'll bury your soul so deep that even hell won't find it"

Enzo's lifeless body dropped.

Luca blinked up at me stunned.

"You came back…"

Dominic's voice was gravel. "She left me no choice."

LATER – SAFE ROOM

Luca's injury wasn't fatal but he was out cold.

Dominic sat across from me, elbows on knees and motionless.

I finally spoke up.

"You killed your own brother."

"He was not my brother anymore" Dominic replied "He sold his soul to the highest bidder"

"You're always telling me you're keeping me safe" I whispered. "But from what?"

Dominic looked at me.

Red eyes. Shaking voice.

"From yourself, Rose."

I raised an eyebrow "What are you talking about?

He pulled out a file from his jacket and slid it over to me.

"Your birth certificate. Under another name. Not just Mendez."

I pulled back the file.

And came to a dead halt.

Gabriella Elena Castillo Mendez.

Castillo.

The name my mother had.

"I thought she'd died," I whispered.

"She did," Dominic answered. "But left you something."

He pulled out a USB.

"What is it?"

"Whatever you need to make your decision about who you want to be as queen."

No more lies, he promised.

I plugged in the USB.

A video had been loaded.

A woman in a white room, blood staining her hands, tears in her eyes.

She was like me.

"If you're reading this Gabriella, it's because i'm dead and it's because your father's enemies found you"

She edged in closer to the camera.

"There's something you should know. Something about the cartel. Something about the empire. Something about the man you'll love.

I looked at Dominic.

The screen froze.

One last message.

"He's not who you think he is."

SAFE ROOM – MIDNIGHT

I scowled at the frozen screen. My mother's eyes and my eyes looked back at me across the past.

"He's not who you think he is"

The words crash like a gunshot to the heart.

Dominic stood beside me, speechless.

I didn't look at him. i couldn't.

Because if I caught his eye, I'd break.

"I need to know everything," I said.

Dominic stalled.

"You promised no lies."

He nodded once, slowly. "Play the rest."

VIDEO RECORDING – CONTINUES

"The man who brought you up Marco—he was aware of what I did. Aware of what we did. We constructed an empire of blood… and paid for it, paid for it in full."

"But there's something I never said to anybody. Not even Marco."

"I did not die in that fire by accident. I was being targeted. Targeted for assassination by the man I once gave my life to."

"His name… is Dominic Alvarez."

I did not move.

All that was inside of me came to a stop.

The air turned to glass.

"If he finds you, he'll say he's protecting you. That he loved your dad. That you're the inheritance he wants to protect."

"But it's a lie."

"HE'S the one who betrayed your father. Who delivered the killing blow to our world."

"HE'S the one who killed your father. And one day, Gabriella, he'll be coming for you too."

SAFE ROOM – SILENCE

I slowly turned to Dominic.

His eyes were closed.

As if he'd known it was coming.

"You killed him," I gasped. "Didn't you?"

He opened his eyes. "Yes."

The ground dropped away beneath me.

"Why?"

He took a step closer. "Because your father was a monster, Rose.".

"Not your decision!"

"It was my decision when he burned down a school in Baja just to silence one witness. When he had families murdered, girls sold into trafficking—when your mother begged me to stop him."

My breath shuddered. "You were supposed to keep her safe."

"I tried!" he thundered. "But she chose him. And by the time she realized who he truly was, it was too late."

Tears streamed down my face. "You lied to me."

"I never lied about the way I feel about you."

I laughed cynically. "How sweet. Fall in love with the daughter of the man you murdered. That's some twisted justice."

He stepped closer. "You are not him, Rose. Never were."

"And yet everyone keeps calling me Mendez."

"Because you have the blood, yes. But you have the choice too. That's the difference."

LATER – ROOFTOP

The city lights below grew hazy as I peered over the edge.

The USB clutched firmly in my palm.

Luca's wound was mending. Enzo was dead. And the world I thought I knew was reduced to ash.

Dominic stood behind me.

Neither of us spoke.

Finally, I asked, "What happens now?"

He moved to stand beside me. "You lead."

I scoffed. "What?"

"You lead the cartel. You take the throne that was rightfully your father's. And you do it your way."

I turned to him. "You actually expect me to believe you again?"

"I believe you'll do what you always do," he said. "You'll get by."

I looked back over the city once again.

My legacy wasn't a crown—my legacy was a curse.

But maybe curses could be broken.

If you were prepared to break everything.

MEANWHILE – UNKNOWN LOCATION

A pair of boots walked through the burned-out hulk of an old Mexican hacienda.

A woman stepped out of the shadows.

Female. Mid-forties. Burn marks on her hands.

She stared at a wall of photographs.

Rose's face among them.

"She's alive," the woman breathed.

A second voice—male, calm, sinister.

"She's more than alive. She's taking the empire."

The woman snarled.

"She'll never survive it. Not after she finds out who really killed her father."

The man chuckled. "Let her rise. It'll make the fall the better."

The woman took off her gloves.

Cross-shaped burn scars.

"She thinks I'm dead."

"And she's going to learn," the man continued, "that her mother's ghost isn't done haunting her."

BACK AT THE PENTHOUSE – FINAL SCENE

I entered Dominic's office.

Papers were spread out on the table—territories, lieutenants, blackmail files.

Power.

And poison.

"I want them all around the table," I said.

Dominic looked up. "Who?"

"Every cartel leader, every ally, every enemy. I want them to see me. All of me."

“That’s a risk.”

“I am the risk.”

He smirked. “And what do you want me to be in all this?”

I stepped in close, heart pounding.

“You,” I whispered, “are either my King… or my downfall.”

He tilted his head. “And which one do you want me to be?”

I smiled coldly.

“We’ll find out at the coronation.”

Dominic watched me walk away.

Then turned to the phone.

Dialed a secure number.

“She’s ready,” he said.

A pause.

A voice replied.

"Good. For now the true war begins."