Chapter 5 - An Unholy Alliance
An hour later, Naomi sat in the back of a black armored SUV driving through the rain-slicked streets of the city. Dominic sat beside her, sipping amber whiskey from a glass tumbler.
"They will come after you now," Dominic said calmly. "Arthur Reed cannot allow that footage to exist, nor can he allow you to speak. Your job at St. Catherine’s is over. Your apartment is no longer safe."
"I knew the risks when I took on Marcus," Naomi said, looking out the tinted window. "I’m not afraid of them."
"You should be," Dominic said. "Virtue without power is just a slow form of suicide, Naomi. You have the truth, but I have the iron. I have the men, the money, and the authority to burn their empire to the ground."
"And what do you want in return, Mr. Thorne?" Naomi asked, turning to face him. "Mafia dons don't play vigilante out of the goodness of their hearts."
Dominic met her gaze. "The men on your list—the judge, the senator, the pharma CEOs—they aren't just abusers. They are the board members of Apex Holdings. They’ve been using St. Catherine’s and three other regional hospitals as a front for human trafficking and illegal medical trials."
Naomi gasped. "Trafficking?"
"They target vulnerable women—penniless, abused, isolated—and make them disappear," Dominic explained. "I’ve been hunting Apex Holdings for two years because they killed my younger brother when he tried to expose them. Your notebook is the missing map I needed."
He extended a hand toward her. "Partner with me, Naomi. Give me your medical intelligence, and I will give you my shadows. Together, we will tear down every single name in your book."
May you like
Naomi looked at his broad, calloused hand. She thought of her sister Clara. She thought of Elise Harper. She thought of every terrified woman who had ever wept on an ER gurney while her abuser walked free.
She placed her hand in his. "Where do we start?"
