Chapter 13 - Storming the Fortress of the Man Who Stole Her Soul
Dominic and Elena moved through the grand corridors of Ashford Manor like twin storms of vengeance.
The mansion’s security systems were designed for this exact scenario. Blast doors segmented the hallways, funneling Caldwell’s mercenaries into lethal choke points where Marco’s elite defenders cut them down with devastating crossfires.
Elena covered Dominic’s flank with ruthless precision.
When a mercenary burst through the library doors, raising a shotgun toward Dominic’s back, Elena didn't hesitate. She raised her pistol, centered her sight picture, and fired twice. Both rounds struck the man’s chest, dropping him instantly onto the Persian rug.
Dominic spun, taking down two more attackers with rapid headshots before turning to her with an approving nod.
"Third floor," Dominic said, reloading his magazines. "Marco says Caldwell breached my private study."
They climbed the back service stairwell, bypassing the main hallway where smoke grenades and flashbangs turned the air into an opaque fog of gunpowder.
Dominic kicked open the double oak doors of his master study.
Inside, the room was trashed. Books were ripped from shelves, computer monitors smashed.
Standing in the center of the room, holding an assault rifle and covered in blood, was Vincent Caldwell.
His silver hair was wild and unkempt, his eyes bloodshot with mad, drug-fueled rage. A suicide vest packed with C4 explosives was strapped across his chest, a manual thumb detonator wired directly to his right hand.
"Welcome to the grand finale, Ashford!" Caldwell screamed over the sound of the howling blizzard blowing through the shattered study windows. "You took my money! You destroyed my network! You gave my names to the FBI!"
Caldwell swung the rifle toward Elena, his finger twitching on the trigger.
"And you, you ungrateful little whore! I found you in the dirt! I gave you everything! And you sold me out to this mafia dog!"
Dominic stepped directly in front of Elena, shielding her entire body with his broad frame.
"Drop the detonator, Vincent," Dominic said, his voice terrifyingly calm, deep, and steady. "You are completely surrounded. Your men are dead in my snow. Your empire is gone. The feds just raided your penthouse."
"I don't care about the penthouse!" Caldwell laughed hysterically, his thumb hovering over the red detonator button. "If I go to hell, you two are coming with me! One press of this button, and this entire wing turns into a crater!"
Elena stepped out from behind Dominic’s shoulder, her gaze locking onto Caldwell’s maddened eyes.
"You won't press it, Vincent," Elena said, her voice dripping with ice-cold venom.
Caldwell blinked, startled by her calm defiance. "You think I'm bluffing?!"
"You're a coward," Elena said, taking a deliberate step toward him. "You tortured me in the dark because you were terrified of what I knew. You chained me up because you couldn't control me. You love your pathetic, miserable life too much to blow yourself to pieces."
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"SHUT UP!" Caldwell screamed, his hand shaking violently on the detonator. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
In that split second of psychological hesitation, Dominic moved.
