Chapter 6 - The Final ReckoningThat night, the Gold Coast estate was locked down tighter than a military base. But Dominic wasn't inside the house.
He was down at the old shipping yards in South Chicago, where the Santoro family had gathered to make their final stand.
I sat in the master bedroom staring at the security monitors, watching live infrared drone feeds transmitted by Marco’s tactical unit. I saw Dominic step out of his armored vehicle alone, walking toward the dimly lit warehouse where Don Vincent Santoro and his top capos were waiting.
They thought they had leverage. They thought capturing me—even for ten seconds—had given them a bargaining chip to renegotiate the Chicago territories.
They didn't understand the man they were dealing with.
On the screen, I watched without audio, but the visual language was unmistakable. Dominic didn't negotiate. He didn't offer terms. Within three minutes, his enforcers had breached the warehouse from three different angles, disarming Santoro’s men without firing a single unnecessary shot.
Dominic walked straight up to Vincent Santoro, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off his feet with one hand against the corrugated steel wall.
Even through a camera feed miles away, I could see the absolute terror in Santoro’s eyes as Dominic spoke. A minute later, Santoro dropped to his knees, signing away his holdings, his shipping routes, and his exile from the United States forever.
By 4:00 AM, the war was over before the police even knew it had started.
The bedroom door clicked open.
Dominic walked in, looking exhausted, his tie gone, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a faint smudge of soot on his cheek. He looked like a warrior returning from a crusade.
He stopped when he saw me sitting awake on the edge of the bed.
“You’re still awake,” he said softly, walking over and kneeling down in front of me, resting his hands gently on my swollen belly.
“I couldn't sleep,” I whispered, reaching out to cup his face, wiping the smudge of soot from his cheek with my thumb. “Is it over?”
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“It’s over,” Dominic promised, looking up into my eyes with a profound, bone-deep weariness that finally gave way to peace. “Santoro is gone. The council has ratified our absolute control. No one will ever threaten you or our child again, Chloe. I swear it on my life.”
I leaned down, pressing my lips softly to his. “I know.”
