The terrifying part wasn’t the marriage. It was that Dominic already knew something about me before the first shot was fired, a secret he believed could destroy us both if I ever learned the truth.

Dominic dragged me down the hidden service staircase beneath the library. The house above us echoed with the deafening roar of gunfire, breaking glass, and shouts.

"Stay behind me!" Dominic ordered, his weapon raised as we moved through the dimly lit stone tunnel beneath the mansion.

My heart was hammering against my ribs. The physical strain was immense, but the adrenaline rushing through my veins kept me moving.

We reached a heavy steel door at the end of the tunnel that led into a subterranean garage. A black armored SUV was idling near the exit ramp.

Enzo was standing near the driver’s side door, holding a submachine gun.

"The tunnel is clear, Boss," Enzo said, waving us forward. "I have the secondary safehouse in Montauk prepped."

Dominic kept his arm around my waist, guiding me toward the back door of the SUV. "Where is my mother?"

"She’s already in the lead armored vehicle with the rear guard," Enzo replied.

Dominic opened the door for me. As I stepped toward the car, my eyes caught Enzo’s hand. He was holding his radio, but the channel display wasn't set to the Rossi security frequency—it was lit up in red, displaying a private encrypted line marked VC.

Victor Costa.

"Dominic, stop!" I screamed, turning to shove Dominic back just as Enzo raised his weapon.

BANG!

A shot echoed through the concrete garage. Dominic reacted instantly, twisting his body and firing two round straight into Enzo’s chest. Enzo crashed against the concrete wall, his weapon clattering to the floor, coughing blood.

"Enzo..." Dominic stood frozen for a split second, shock flashing across his face as he looked at his most trusted childhood friend. "You sold us out?"

Enzo spat blood onto the floor, grinning weakly. "Costa offered me half the Brooklyn terminals, Dominic... You turned soft... marrying a waitress... giving away our empire for a girl..."

Dominic didn't say a word. He stepped forward and put a single final bullet through Enzo’s heart, ending the betrayal.

Dominic turned back to me, his dark face illuminated by the flashing red emergency lights. He stepped close, checking my body for injuries, his hands trembling slightly as he inspected my face.

"Are you hit?" he demanded, his voice thick with emotion. "Clara, look at me! Are you hit?"

"No," I gasped, burying my face into his chest, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. "No, I'm okay... you saved me."