Chapter 2 - Blood in the SnowThe shrill wail of the clinic's alarm echoed off the white tile walls, vibrating straight through my chest. Before I could even swing my legs off the examination table, Dominic moved with terrifying, predatory speed.
In one fluid motion, he stripped off his damp wool coat, draped it over my shoulders to completely conceal my body, and scooped me up into his arms as if I weighed nothing at all.
"Hold on to me," he commanded, his voice a low, steady rumble that cut through the panic screaming in my mind.
"Dominic, put me down, what's happening—?"
"We have company," he muttered grimly, kicking open the back service door of the examination room just as a volley of suppressed gunfire chewed through the drywall of the front waiting area.
Wood splinters and drywall dust rained down over the hallway. Outside the back exit, the alleyway was narrow, slick with freezing rain mixed with early winter sleet. Viktor was already waiting by the rear door of a bulletproof black Escalade idling in the shadows, holding a submachine gun ready while using his other hand to shove a sputtering, terrified Derek into the backseat.
"Get him in the trunk if he screams again," Dominic snapped as he deposited me gently into the warm, leather-lined interior of the SUV.
"Wait—don't leave me here! They're shooting!" Derek wailed from the floor of the back row, clutching his knees in a crumpled heap of designer fabric.
Viktor slammed the heavy armored door shut, cutting off Derek's pathetic whining. The Escalade roared to life, tires spitting gravel and slush as Viktor slammed on the gas, tearing out of the alley just as two masked figures rounded the corner with assault rifles raised.
Bullets pinged harmlessly off the reinforced rear glass, sparking bright orange against the tinted laminate.
I sat clutching Dominic’s coat around my shoulders, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Who were they?" I breathed, looking up at Dominic, who sat beside me unblinkingly, reloading the magazine of a heavy Sig Sauer pistol with calm, mechanical precision.
"Competitors," Dominic replied coldly, not looking up from his weapon. "Or remnants of the cartel your ex-fiancé was laundering money for."
My blood ran cold. "Derek? What does Derek have to do with cartels?"
Dominic let out a short, humorless laugh, sliding the magazine into place with a sharp clack. "Your brilliant ex-fiancé thought he was playing high-stakes corporate poker. He took out massive private loans from a front company tied to the Eastern Syndicate to fund his lifestyle and buy into my real estate developments under a false name. When he couldn't pay the vig, he started leaking information about my properties to rival factions."
"He... he told them where I was?" I whispered, horror washing over me.
"He told everyone everything the moment he panicked," Dominic said, his dark eyes meeting mine. "Which means you aren't safe in your apartment anymore, Chloe. In fact, you haven't been safe since the night of the Starlight Gala."
"Then where are we going?"
"My estate in upstate New York," Dominic said flatly, his tone brook no argument. "High walls, private security, and completely off the grid."
"I can't just disappear!" I protested, though my voice lacked conviction. "I have a life, an apartment, a career—"
"You have a child growing inside you," Dominic interrupted, his voice dropping into a register that sent a shiver straight down my spine. He reached out, his warm palm sliding down to rest directly over the slight curve of my stomach beneath his coat. His fingers spread wide, protective and possessive. "Nothing else matters, Chloe. Not your apartment, not your career, and certainly not the pathetic worm whimpering on the floor of my car."
In the front seat, Derek whimpered again, though a sharp glare from Viktor through the rearview mirror immediately silenced him.
May you like
I looked down at Dominic’s hand resting on my belly. The baby gave a faint, phantom flutter—a tiny movement that only I could feel. For months, I had been terrified, alone, and convinced I had to face the wreckage of my life by myself. Now, I was trapped in a bulletproof fortress on wheels, bound to the most dangerous man in Chicago by a secret that could either save us or destroy us both.
As the city lights faded behind us, replaced by the dark, sweeping expanse of the interstate cutting through the snowy wilderness, I closed my eyes and realized one terrifying truth: there was no going back.
