Chapter 6 - Shadows of the Past
The aftermath of the rescue was a blur of shouting,
gunfire,
and the smell of sulfur.
Dominic had neutralized the men with a brutal efficiency that left me breathless.
He didn't say a word as he carried Gemma out of the lighthouse,
his face a mask of cold stone.
He didn't look at me until we were back in the safety of the Russo estate.
Gemma was being tended to by a private doctor,
her cries echoing through the hallway.
I stood in the library,
my clothes still dripping with seawater,
shaking so hard I could barely stand.
Dominic walked in,
his shirt stained with blood,
his knuckles raw.
He walked straight to me and wrapped me in a thick wool blanket.
"You disobeyed me,"
he said,
his voice low and dangerous.
"I saved her,"
I countered,
looking up at him.
"If I hadn't found that hatch,
your men would have walked right into an ambush."
Dominic grabbed my shoulders,
his grip firm but not painful.
"You could have died,
Clara."
"Do you understand that?"
"I would have lost you before I even had you."
The intensity in his eyes was overwhelming.
He wasn't just talking about his sister.
He was talking about me.
"Why do you care so much?"
I asked,
my voice breaking.
"I’m just a girl from a pharmacy."
"I’m nothing in your world."
Dominic leaned in,
his forehead resting against mine.
"You’re the only thing that matters in my world,"
he whispered.
"I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by people who want something from me."
"Money,
power,
protection."
"But you...
you just want your friend back."
"You have a heart that hasn't been corrupted by this city."
"And I’m going to keep it that way."
He pulled back,
looking at the waterproof bag on the table.
"The ledger she found...
it proves my uncle has been funneling money to the Morettis."
"The war is coming,
Clara."
"And you can't go back to that pharmacy."
"Not now."
"I don't have a choice,
do I?"
I asked.
"No,"
Dominic said.
"You’re under my protection now."
May you like
"And in my world,
protection means possession."
