Chapter 15 - The Wolf at the Gates
The blizzard struck Long Island on a Tuesday midnight, howling through the ancient pines with sixty-mile-per-hour winds and blinding sheets of white.
Inside the master suite of the Rossi fortress, the fireplace crackled with burning birch logs, casting a warm amber glow over the plush rugs.
Clara lay in bed, reading a book of classic poetry, while Dominic stood near his private gun safe, checking the magazine of his customized tactical sidearm.
“You’re checking the perimeter again,” Clara noted softly, setting her book on the nightstand.
Dominic paused, clicking the magazine into the grip and racking the slide with a crisp, metallic snap. He turned to look at her, his expression softening as he walked over to the side of the bed.
“A storm makes men careless, Clara,” Dominic said, sitting on the edge of the mattress, taking her hand in his. “I don't leave things to chance.”
Suddenly, the soft chiming of the estate’s secondary perimeter alarm pulsed through the hidden speakers in the ceiling.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The digital security monitor on the wall flashed to life.
Thermal cameras mounted along the western sea wall showed eight heavily armed operatives dressed in white winter camouflage cutting through the outer chain-link fence near the private boat dock.
Clara gasped, pulling the blanket to her chest. “Dominic…”
Dominic didn't flinch. He picked up his tactical radio, speaking into the encrypted channel with cold, clinical precision.
“Enzo,” Dominic commanded. “The perimeter has been breached at Sector Four. Seal the east wing medical bunker. Engage lethal authorization on all intruders.”
“Copy that, Boss,” Enzo’s voice crackled back over the radio. “Tactical teams are in position.”
Dominic turned to Clara, pulling a small, sleek titanium pistol from the nightstand drawer and placing it gently into her hands.
“Stay inside the reinforced panic room behind the dressing closet, Clara,” Dominic instructed, his eyes locking onto hers with fierce devotion. “Do not open that door for anyone except me or Enzo. Do you understand?”
Clara gripped the cold steel of the weapon, looking into his eyes.
“Come back to me, Dominic,” she whispered.
Dominic leaned down, kissing her lips with a raw, breathtaking intensity.
May you like
“Always,” he murmured.
He turned, racked his weapon, and stepped out into the dark, shadowed hallways of his fortress.
