Chapter 4 - SHADOWS AT THE GATE
Two days later, the mansion was plunged into total darkness.
I was in the middle of changing Dominic’s dressings when the power grid failed, plunging the estate into a suffocating blackness. The ambient hum of the central air died, leaving only the sound of rain lashing against the glass.
"Get down," Dominic commanded instantly, his hand shooting out to grab my wrist. Despite his weakened state, his grip was iron. He pulled me down onto the mattress beside him just as a dull, suppressed thwip sounded from the grounds outside, followed by the shattering of a downstairs window.
"What's happening?" I whispered, my heart launching into my throat.
"Lorenzo grew impatient waiting for the poison to work," Dominic said coldly. He reached under his pillow, pulling out a matte black Glock. He checked the chamber entirely by touch. "He sent a clean-up crew."
Footsteps echoed from the marble staircase down the hall. Heavy, deliberate, and numerous. Leo's voice shouted a warning, followed by the deafening roar of automatic gunfire. I clamped my hands over my ears, squeezing my eyes shut.
"Nora. Look at me." Dominic’s voice was a low, steady anchor in the chaos. I opened my eyes to find his face inches from mine in the dark. "Behind the armoire, there’s a false panel. It leads to a panic room in the east wing. Go."
"What about you?"
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"I’m the one they want. I'll hold the door. Go!"
"You can't even stand up without tearing your stitches!" I fired back, my ER adrenaline kicking in. I wasn't leaving a patient to die, mafia boss or not. I grabbed my heavy oxygen tank from the corner and rolled it toward the heavy oak bedroom door, wedging it firmly under the brass handle. "We hold the room together."
