Chapter 8 - WRATH OF THE FATHER
"Nora. Listen to me."
Damon's voice through the speaker wasn't panicked. It was terrifyingly calm, the calm of a hurricane's eye.
"I'm here," she said, her voice shaking but defiant.
"Close your eyes, milaya. Cover Milo’s ears."
Petrov laughed. "You think you can save them through the phone—"
The warehouse doors didn't just open; they exploded.
A military-grade breach blew the steel doors off their hinges, sending smoke and shrapnel flying. Before the dust could even settle, black-clad tactical units poured into the room, assault rifles raining hellfire on Petrov's men.
Nora threw herself sideways, tipping her chair over to avoid the crossfire, screaming for Milo to stay down.
Through the chaos, a figure moved like the Reaper himself. Damon Cross. He wore no tactical gear, only a blood-spattered dress shirt, firing a matte-black pistol with lethal, mechanical precision. He didn't miss. Every shot was a kill.
Petrov tried to run. Damon shot him in the kneecap, sending the Russian mobster crashing to the concrete. Damon didn't even pause to look at him. He sprinted past the screaming man, dropping his weapon the second he saw Nora and Milo.
He ripped a knife from his belt, slashing Nora’s ropes. The second she was free, she scrambled to Milo, pulling the sobbing boy into her arms. Damon fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around both of them, crushing them to his chest. He was shaking violently.
"I've got you," Damon choked out, pressing kisses to Nora's bloodied hair, to Milo's face. "I've got you. Nobody will ever touch you again."
"Dad."
Damon froze. He pulled back, looking at his son.
Milo, tears streaming down his dirt-streaked face, reached out and grabbed Damon’s collar. "Dad. I'm scared."
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A sob tore out of Damon’s throat—a guttural, broken sound of a man who had his soul returned to him. He buried his face in his son's shoulder, weeping openly, entirely unbothered by the carnage around him or the men watching.
He looked up at Nora, his eyes bloodshot and blazing with absolute devotion. "I'm ending it. I'm ending all of it today."
