Chapter 7 - A Father's Shield
Dominic didn't waste a single second. He carried Sophie into his private master suite on the top floor—an impenetrable panic room constructed with reinforced steel doors and bulletproof glass.
He laid the sleeping child gently onto his massive king-sized bed, tucking a heavy wool blanket around her small shoulders, setting Mr. Buttons right beside her cheek.
Claire stood near the bed, her hands trembling as she watched him adjust the blanket with surprising, gentle care.
Dominic turned to Claire, reaching out with his large, warm hands to grasp her shoulders, looking deeply into her brown eyes.
"You and Sophie are staying inside this room, Claire," Dominic instructed in a firm, steady voice. "The doors lock automatically from the inside. Nobody gets through this threshold unless it's me or Marco."
"Dominic... please be careful," Claire whispered, her voice cracking as she placed her small hand over his tattooed forearm. "I just found you. Sophie just found her father."
Dominic looked down at her hand on his arm, a rare, breathtaking smile touching his lips beneath his trimmed beard. He raised his hand, gently brushing his thumb across her rosy cheek.
"Nobody takes my family again, Claire," Dominic promised softly. "I've waited four years for this night."
He pulled a heavy tactical sidearm from his shoulder holster, checked the magazine with effortless, practiced speed, and stepped out into the hallway.
The heavy steel doors of the master suite slid shut behind him with a loud pneumatic hiss, sealing Claire and Sophie safely inside.
Down in the main courtyard, the storm raged as rain poured over the estate.
Julian Vance’s men breached the outer iron gates using a heavy tactical ram, three black SUVs tearing onto the paved driveway with headlights flashing. Armed mercenaries in dark raincoats poured out, raising automatic weapons toward the grand mansion entrance.
Standing on the grand stone porch, completely unbothered by the rain soaking his black dress shirt, stood Dominic Valenti.
Beside him stood Marco Russo and twelve elite Valenti security enforcers, moving into disciplined defensive formations.
Julian Vance stepped out of his lead SUV, holding an umbrella, a cruel, triumphant smile stretching across his scarred face.
"You're outnumbered, Dominic!" Julian shouted over the sound of rain. "Surrender the child!"
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Dominic took two slow steps down the stone stairs into the rain. His intense dark eyes locked onto the traitor who had stolen four years of his daughter's life.
"I'm not outnumbered, Julian," Dominic said, his voice echoing across the courtyard like thunder. "You're trapped."
