Chapter 4 - the silent whistleblower
Dominic’s reaction was instantaneous.
In a fraction of a second, before the sound of the shattering glass even echoed through the room, Dominic lunged across the leather sofa, wrapping his broad frame around Anna and Lily, slamming them down behind the thick mahogany desk as a high-caliber sniper round embedded itself deep into the plastered wall.
Outside in the corridor, Marco burst through the heavy double doors, his sidearm drawn, his eyes sharp and alert.
"Sniper from the rooftop across Forty-Fifth Street!" Marco yelled, moving instantly to hit the emergency override button on the wall. Heavy steel blast shutters immediately descended over the floor-to-ceiling windows, sealing the office in complete darkness save for the warm desk lamps.
Lily whimpered softly, pressing her face against Anna's pale-blue blouse. Anna held her daughter tight, her body trembling, but her hands remained steady as she rocked the little girl.
Dominic stood up slowly from behind the desk, adjusting his beige suit jacket, his expression completely transformed into an ice-cold mask of absolute vengeance.
"Are you hit?" Dominic asked, looking down at Anna and Lily.
"We're... we're okay," Anna breathed, her face pale, holding Lily close. "Dominic... what is happening?"
Dominic didn't answer her directly. He turned to Marco. "Where did the shot come from?"
"The roof of the Vance Tower across the street," Marco reported, his voice tight. "My perimeter team is already moving on the building. But Boss... that wasn't a warning shot. That was aimed directly at Anna."
Dominic walked over to the wall where the bullet had lodged. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small penknife, and carefully extracted the crushed lead slug from the plaster. He held it up to the lamplight.
"Armor-piercing point-three-zero-eight," Dominic observed calmly. "Military issue. The same rounds used by Vance Security."
Anna looked up from the floor, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. "Vance? As in Julian Vance? Your father's senior board member?"
Dominic looked at her with sharp, calculating eyes. "Julian Vance has been attempting to buy out my father's remaining distribution shares for six years. Every time he made an offer, our legal team blocked him because twenty percent of the shares were unaccounted for."
Dominic walked back to the desk, picking up the shoebox of unopened letters.
"Julian didn't just fire you today, Anna," Dominic revealed softly. "He realized you were holding the missing twenty percent. And when he saw you step into my lobby with this shoebox, he panicked."
Lily looked up from Anna's chest, her brown eyes shiny with tears, holding her worn rabbit. "Is the bad man going to hurt Mommy?"
May you like
Dominic crouched down in front of the little girl once again. He reached out and gently patted Lily's soft brown hair, his dark eyes carrying an unyielding promise.
"No one is ever going to hurt your mother again, Lily," Dominic said softly. "You have my word."
