Chapter 9 - The Purge of the Shadow
Dominic raised his hand slightly. "Take her to the basement vaults. Not the sub-floor. The iron vaults beneath the wine cellar."
"No! Dominic! Please! Shoot me! Don't lock me away!" Lucinda shrieked, her voice echoing violently as the guards began dragging her down the stone steps leading into the deep foundations of the estate. Her emerald dress dragged through the dust and shattered glass, her diamonds sparkling uselessly in the dim light until the sound of her screaming was cut off by the slamming of a six-inch steel vault door.
Dominic stood alone in the center of the vast ballroom. He looked down at the two opened floor panels—the two dark voids that had held his family’s darkest secrets and deepest pain.
Marcus walked up slowly behind him, bowing his head in deep shame. "Boss... I failed you. I left Miss Maisie. I accept whatever punishment you decide."
Dominic turned slowly to look at his bodyguard. Marcus had served him loyally for fifteen years, but a mistake of this magnitude carried a fatal price in their world.
"You let a snake speak for the master of the house, Marcus," Dominic said softly. "You are stripped of your rank. You will serve on the perimeter teams in the docks for five years. If you prove your vigilance again, you may return to the house. If you fail once more... you will join Lucinda in the vaults."
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Marcus breathed a massive sigh of relief, dropping to one knee. "Thank you, Boss. Thank you for your mercy. I will not fail you again."
"Get this floor repaired before sunrise," Dominic ordered, walking away. "I want every board replaced with solid concrete and solid oak. I never want to hear a hollow sound in this house again."
