Chapter 9 - Fire and Frequency
Before Julian could give the order to draw weapons,
the lights in the entire mansion cut out,
plunging the ballroom into pitch blackness.
Screams of confusion echoed through the darkness as men scrambled for cover.
Emergency red lights flickered on three seconds later,
casting a crimson glow over the frantic crowd.
"Get Vale!" Julian roared through the chaos.
Dominic moved with terrifying speed.
In one fluid motion,
he pulled Ruby behind his massive frame,
drew a suppressed pistol from his jacket,
and fired three precise shots into the ceiling,
shattering the primary chandelier above Julian's platform.
The massive crystal fixture came crashing down with a deafening roar,
pinning two of Julian's enforcers beneath iron and shattered glass.
"Marcus! Clear the east exit!" Dominic commanded over the noise of panicking syndicate members.
Ruby didn't freeze.
She grabbed a heavy bronze decorative vase from a nearby table and slammed it directly into the chest of a rival guard who lunged out of the smoke toward Dominic.
The guard gasped for air and collapsed onto the marble floor.
Dominic glanced back at her,
a flash of dark pride illuminating his eyes.
"Nice shot,
Miss Bennett,
" he growled.
"I told you I take up space,
" Ruby replied,
her heart hammering,
"and I defend my territory!"
They moved together toward the service hallway,
Marcus providing suppressive fire as Julian's remaining loyalists returned shots through the smoke.
The sound of gunfire,
shattering glass,
and screaming men filled the night,
completely destroying the quiet world Dominic had built around himself.
Yet,
as they broke through the side exit into the pouring rain where armored SUVs were waiting,
Dominic realized something extraordinary.
He wasn't afraid of the noise anymore.
The chaos outside no longer threatened to drown him.
Because right beside him,
holding his hand with a grip like iron,
was the woman whose voice had shattered his silence and given him a reason to fight.
They scrambled into the back seat of the heavy armored vehicle as Marcus slammed the door shut and gunned the engine,
tearing away from the burning estate into the storm.
Dominic pulled Ruby close to his chest,
his arms wrapping around her like steel bands,
his head resting against her hair as he breathed in her scent of vanilla and rain.
"Are you hurt?" he demanded,
his hands quickly checking her arms,
her face,
her waist for any sign of blood.
"I'm fine,
Dominic,
" she gasped,
looking up into his desperate,
intense eyes.
"I'm completely fine."
Dominic stared down at her face,
the adrenaline of the gunfight fading,
leaving behind only the raw,
consuming heat that had been building between them since the moment she picked up that feather duster.
"I can't lose you,
" he choked out,
his voice cracking with genuine emotion for the first time in his life.
"I don't care about the docks,"
May you like
"I don't care about the syndicate,"
"I only care about the voice in my house."
