Chapter 9 - FIRE AND RUIN
The assault was not a battle; it was an execution.
Dominic’s men breached the water treatment plant from three access points simultaneously. Explosives blew the heavy steel doors off their hinges, sending shockwaves through the concrete facility. Gunfire erupted in a deafening roar.
Dominic moved like a shadow forged in hellfire. He didn't take cover. He walked straight into the storm of bullets, his rifle barking, dropping Romano soldiers with terrifying precision. He was a force of nature, driven by a primal, unstoppable fury.
He fought his way down to the subterranean levels. The air was thick with smoke, cordite, and blood. He kicked open a control room door.
Sal Romano was there, holding a pistol to Isabella's head. Isabella was tied to a chair, her face streaked with tears, but when she saw Dominic, her eyes lit up.
"Drop it, Moretti!" Romano screamed, his hands shaking violently as he pressed the barrel into Isabella's temple. "I'll do it! I swear to God I'll blow her brains out!"
Dominic lowered his rifle, letting it hang on its sling. He raised his hands slowly. "Let her go, Sal. You've lost. Your men are dead. Look at me. I'm the one you want."
Romano sneered, a desperate, cornered animal. "You're weak, Dominic. Love made you weak."
"No," Dominic said softly. "It made me precise."
From the shadows of the catwalk above, a suppressed gunshot coughed. Marco—bleeding, wrapped in bandages from the park ambush, but refusing to stay behind—had taken the sniper position.
The bullet took Sal Romano in the shoulder, spinning him away from Isabella.
Before Romano could hit the ground, Dominic drew his sidearm and fired three times into Romano's chest. The rival boss collapsed, dead before his head hit the concrete.
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Dominic dropped his weapon and ran to Isabella, tearing the ropes off her small wrists. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest, sobbing violently.
"I've got you," Dominic whispered, falling to his knees and wrapping his entire body around her, shielding her from the horrors of the room. "I've got you. You're safe. Daddy is here."
