Chapter 9
The aftermath of the confrontation settled over the private dining room like the calm following a violent storm. Dominic remained perfectly still, kneeling on the carpeted floor, allowing the weeping child to cling to him. His massive, tattooed hand gently patted the back of her oversized burgundy cardigan, offering a silent, steady comfort he had not provided to anyone in over a decade. His piercing gray-blue eyes stared blankly over her shoulder, his mind racing with the tactical implications of what had just occurred.
Marcus was a low-level enforcer, a street collector. A man like that did not have the authority or the resources to run a rogue operation collecting human collateral on a fifty-thousand-dollar debt without someone higher up the chain turning a blind eye. The syndicate had a leak. A rot was growing in Dominic's empire, and it had nearly cost an innocent child her life.
After a few minutes, Lily’s heavy sobs quieted into exhausted hiccups. She slowly pulled back, wiping her wet cheeks with the sleeve of her cardigan. She looked incredibly embarrassed, her fair skin flushing a deep rosy pink.
"I'm sorry, sir," Lily mumbled, looking down at her scuffed brown sneakers. "You bought us dinner, and I ruined your shirt."
Dominic looked down at the dark, damp tear stains on his expensive charcoal-gray dress shirt and let out a soft, genuine exhale of amusement. "I own a hundred shirts just like it, Lily. It doesn't matter."
He stood up smoothly, his knees popping slightly, and turned to Rosa. The young waitress was still holding the sleeping baby, gently rocking him back and forth.
"Rosa," Dominic said, his authoritative voice returning. "Go to the kitchen. Have the chef pack three large thermal bags with warm food, fresh fruit, milk, and whatever else is highly nutritious. Pack enough to last several days."
Rosa nodded quickly. "Yes, Mr. Moretti. I'll have it ready in five minutes." She gently handed the sleeping Noah back to Lily, ensuring the baby's head was supported before hurrying out of the room.
Lily adjusted the blue-and-gray blanket around Noah, holding him tightly. She looked up at Dominic, her eyes wide with confusion. "Are you sending us away?"
"I am moving you," Dominic corrected, his gaze intense but protective. "Marcus is dealt with, but I cannot guarantee that whoever ordered him to hunt you won't send someone else. It is not safe for you on the streets, and it is certainly not safe for you to return to wherever you have been hiding."
Lily swallowed hard. "Where are we going to go? We don't have anyone left. My dad... he left us weeks ago."
Dominic stepped closer to the table, picking up his silver watch that he had unclasped during the confrontation. He snapped it securely around his tattooed wrist, the metallic click echoing in the quiet room.
"You have me," Dominic stated, looking down at her with an expression of absolute certainty. "You are coming with me to my estate. It is highly fortified. No one gets through those gates without my explicit permission. You and Noah will stay there until I figure out exactly who in my organization is responsible for this."
Lily stared at him, overwhelmed by the sudden, dramatic shift in her reality. An hour ago, she was starving in an alleyway. Now, she was under the direct protection of a billionaire mafia boss.
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"Why are you doing this for us?" Lily asked softly, her voice barely a whisper.
Dominic looked at the dark bruising around her tiny wrist, his jaw tightening once more. "Because a long time ago, someone should have protected me, and they didn't. I don't let history repeat itself in my city."
