Chapter 9 - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE WATERFRONT
I screamed.
But Lily didn’t fall.
Elena’s pistol dropped to the wooden planks. She gasped, looking down at her own shoulder, where a dark crimson stain was rapidly blooming through her white trench coat.
Dominic hadn’t hesitated. His gun was still raised, smoking in the rain.
Elena collapsed onto her knees.
Volkov’s men didn’t even look back. They boarded the yacht, the engines revving higher as the massive boat pulled away from the pier, leaving Elena bleeding and abandoned.
I ran.
I didn’t feel the agony in my heel. I didn’t feel the freezing rain.
I collided with Lily, dropping to my knees and pulling her tiny body into my chest.
“Mommy! Mommy!” she wailed, burying her face in my neck, wrapping her arms around me so tightly it hurt.
“I’ve got you, baby,” I sobbed, kissing her wet hair, her cheeks, her forehead. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
Dominic walked forward. He kicked Elena’s pistol off the pier and into the dark water.
Elena looked up at him, clutching her bleeding shoulder. Her face was twisted in hatred.
“You gave them the money,” Elena spat. “You gave them the leverage.”
“I gave them nothing,” Dominic said coldly. “The ledger Volkov just took is a fake. I burned your real ledger five years ago to protect the family name.”
Elena’s eyes widened in horror. “Volkov will open that book. He’ll see it’s blank.”
“Yes, he will,” Dominic said. “And he’ll think you tried to play him. The Russian syndicate will hunt you now, Elena. Not me.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. Dominic’s loyal security teams were finally arriving.
Dominic turned away from his sister. He left her kneeling in the rain to face whatever justice was coming.
He walked over to where I was holding Lily.
He knelt down beside us.
Lily peeked out from my shoulder. She looked at the giant, intimidating man with tattoos and a gun tucked into his waistband.
She didn’t pull away.
Instead, Lily reached out her tiny hand and touched the lapel of Dominic’s soaked shirt.
“Are you the prince?” she asked, her voice trembling but brave. “Mommy said a prince would come.”
Dominic’s hardened face completely broke. A beautiful, devastating softness washed over his features.
“I’m no prince, piccola,” Dominic whispered, his voice incredibly gentle. “But I’m a very good guard dog. And nobody is ever going to hurt you or your mommy again.”
Dominic gently scooped Lily into his arms. She immediately laid her head against his broad shoulder, completely exhausted, completely safe.
He offered me his free hand.
He pulled me up.
“Let’s go home,” he said.
As we walked back down the pier toward the car, Lily reached into the pocket of her little jeans.
She held out her closed fist to Dominic.
“The bad lady dropped this when the loud noise happened,” Lily mumbled sleepily.
Dominic stopped. He held out his hand.
Lily dropped a small, heavy silver key into his palm.
Dominic stared at the key. A profound, emotional weight settled over him.
He looked at me.
May you like
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a key to a safety deposit box,” Dominic said quietly. “One I’ve been looking for since my father died.”
