Chapter 5
Dominic’s expression turned ice-cold. The warmth in his eyes was replaced by a terrifying, hollow void that promised absolute destruction. He slowly uncrossed his arms, the elegant white fabric of his suit shifting over his muscular frame. He looked up at his head of security, standing near the main entrance.
"Seal the room," Dominic ordered, his voice echoing with deadly authority.
"Lock it down!" the head of security bellowed.
Immediately, the massive oak doors of the grand ballroom were slammed shut. The heavy brass deadbolts were thrown into place with a resounding, metallic clack. A dozen bodyguards drew their weapons—keeping them pointed safely at the floor, but ready—forming an impenetrable perimeter around the wealthy guests. No one was leaving.
"Nobody speaks. Nobody touches their phones. If anyone moves toward an exit, you break their legs," Dominic commanded the room, his ruggedly handsome face set in stone. He turned back to the small group at the head of the table.
Elena was trembling, clutching Lily so tightly the little girl squeaked. The terrifying reality of the Mafia world had violently invaded the bright, extravagant birthday party.
Dominic knelt back down on the marble floor, completely ignoring the deadly poison splattered near his polished white shoes. He looked directly at Lily. The toddler was observant, her bright eyes tracking the guards locking the doors. She wasn't crying; she was simply watching.
"Lily," Dominic said, keeping his voice incredibly soft, shielding the child from the violent rage boiling inside him. "You saved Ethan’s life today. I owe you a debt I can never repay."
"I just didn't want him to eat the bad stuff," Lily replied simply, adjusting the skirt of her bright yellow party dress.
"I know," Dominic nodded, offering a small, reassuring smile. "But now, I need you to be very brave again. I need you to tell me exactly what you saw the man do in the corridor. Every little detail you can remember."
Ethan slid off his chair, walking over to stand beside his father. He looked at Lily, his gentle face pale but determined. "Please, Lily. Tell my dad."
Lily looked at Ethan, then back to Dominic. She pointed her tiny finger at the ruined frosting on the floor.
"He was standing in the shadows by the big silver carts," Lily explained, her voice remarkably clear for a three-year-old. "He had a little silver box in his hand. It looked like the box Mama keeps her mints in. He opened it, and he took some powder out with his thumb."
Dr. Harris nodded slowly, confirming the method. "A transdermal application, mixed directly into the icing. Very professional."
"Then what did he do?" Dominic asked, his eyes never leaving the child.
"He rubbed something into the frosting," Lily continued, mimicking a dusting motion with her tiny fingers. "He rubbed it in really fast, and then he put the little silver box back in his pocket. He looked around to see if anyone saw him, but he didn't look down under the table where I was."
"Did you see his face, Lily?" Elena asked, her voice shaking with fear. "Do you know who it was?"
Lily shook her curly brown hair. "No, Mama. It was dark in the hallway. I couldn't see his face. He had a dark jacket on."
Dominic’s jaw tightened. A dark jacket. Half the men in his security detail, as well as several of the high-ranking guests, were wearing dark jackets. Finding a faceless man in a mansion full of killers was going to be difficult, but Dominic Moretti had built his empire on achieving the impossible.
"Thank you, Lily," Dominic said, preparing to stand up and begin the brutal interrogations.
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But Lily wasn't finished.
"I didn't see his face," Lily said quietly, her observant eyes scanning the perimeter of the locked ballroom. "But I saw his shiny pin."
