12
767 Words
Dominic paced his office like a caged animal, rage boiling just beneath the surface. Leo stood by the door, arms crossed, watching him with wary eyes.
“She wouldn’t have left on her own,” Dominic muttered, mostly to himself. “Not after everything.”
Leo nodded. “I did some digging. She’s back at her father’s house.”
Dominic froze.
“She what?”
Leo sighed. “Smith sent a car to pick her up. She didn’t fight it.”
Dominic clenched his fists. His jaw tightened so hard it ached.
“She thinks she’s protecting you,” Leo said carefully. “Smith must have threatened you, and she took the bait.”
Dominic exhaled slowly, trying to keep himself from punching the nearest wall.
Of course she did.
That stubborn, self-sacrificing girl.
She actually thought she could protect him.
“Get the car,” Dominic growled.
Leo didn’t move. “Boss—”
“Now.”
Leo hesitated. “You’re walking straight into a trap. That’s exactly what Smith wants. If we don’t plan this right, you’ll either be dead or in handcuffs before you even see her.”
Dominic’s lips curled into a dark smirk. “Let him try.”
Leo sighed, running a hand down his face. “At least bring backup.”
Dominic shook his head. “No. This isn’t a f*****g war. Not yet. If I show up with men, he’ll have an excuse to use force. I need to see Olivia first. I need to know what she’s thinking before I burn his world to the ground.”
Leo didn’t argue this time. He just grabbed the keys.
As Dominic slid into the black SUV, his mind was already racing with possibilities.
If Olivia had gone back willingly, she was in danger.
If she had been taken, she was in even more danger.
Either way, Marcus Smith was going to regret ever laying a hand on her.
Because Dominic wasn’t just coming to get her back.
He was coming to end this.
—————————
Olivia sat by the window, staring out at the darkened streets. She could barely make out the city lights in the distance, blurred by the rain trickling down the glass.
Her father had locked her in her old room, the one she had spent most of her life trying to escape. The walls were the same dull beige, the furniture stiff and cold. There was no warmth here. There never had been.
She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to push down the suffocating feeling in her chest.
Dominic is coming.
She had no proof. No reason to believe it.
But she knew.
She could feel it in her bones.
A sudden noise outside made her freeze. Footsteps on the gravel. A car door closing.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Was it him?
Or was it someone worse?
She moved quickly to the door, pressing her ear against the wood.
Muffled voices.
Then a crash.
Shouting.
Her father’s voice barking orders.
Another crash.
Gunfire.
Her breath hitched.
Dominic.
Panic and relief hit her all at once. He shouldn’t have come. It was a trap. But at the same time, she needed him to be here.
She stumbled back just as the door slammed open.
A man she didn’t recognize stood there, holding a gun. One of her father’s men.
“Move,” he ordered.
She didn’t.
The man grabbed her arm roughly, yanking her forward. She gasped in pain but didn’t make a sound.
Then, suddenly—
A gunshot rang out.
The man’s grip loosened.
His body hit the floor with a sickening thud.
And behind him, standing in the doorway, gun still raised—
Dominic.
His chest was rising and falling heavily, his dark eyes filled with something raw and dangerous.
“Kitten,” he breathed, lowering the gun.
Olivia didn’t think. She just ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist.
He caught her instantly, his grip tightening as if he was afraid she’d disappear.
“You stupid girl,” he muttered against her hair. “You should have fought harder.”
She shook her head, her fingers clutching at his shirt.
He pulled back slightly, looking down at her with an intensity that made her heart stutter.
“I told you,” he said, voice low. “I told you I’d never let him hurt you again.”
Footsteps pounded down the hall. More men.
Dominic pushed her behind him, raising his gun.
“Stay close, kitten,” he murmured.
And then he pulled the trigger.
- Writer
