Chapter 8 - The Last Man Loyal to Catherine
Catherine was sentenced.
Marcus accepted fifteen years with the possibility of reduction for cooperation.
Derek moved to Ohio but returned twice a month to see Noah.
For six months, life became almost normal.
Then Gabriel found the photograph.
It had been taped beneath his windshield.
Dominic.
Elena.
Noah.
Taken outside Noah’s school.
Across Dominic’s face was a red X.
Across Elena’s—
another.
Noah’s face remained untouched.
On the back:
SHE LOST. WE DIDN’T.
Dominic doubled security.
Elena hated it.
Noah thought the armored SUV was “awesome.”
Gabriel did not laugh.
Someone remained loyal to Catherine.
The name surfaced quickly.
Victor Hale.
Catherine’s former security director.
Officially dead.
Naturally.
Elena had developed a strong dislike for dead people who refused to stay dead.
Victor’s motive was not loyalty.
Money.
Before arrest, Catherine transferred twenty million dollars into encrypted accounts.
Victor needed Dominic’s access codes to release them.
The attacks began small.
A warehouse fire.
A hacked account.
Threatening calls.
Then one night, the power failed at the estate.
Dominic immediately knew.
“Safe room.”
Elena grabbed Noah.
Gabriel’s men moved.
Glass shattered downstairs.
Dominic pushed Elena and Noah into the reinforced room.
“I’ll be back.”
She caught his hand.
“No basement heroics.”
Despite everything, he smiled.
“Promise.”
The attack lasted eleven minutes.
Victor’s men expected the old Crane estate security.
They had not expected Gabriel.
Police arrested six.
Victor escaped.
He left another message.
Come back to where it started.
Elena knew immediately.
The basement.
Dominic refused.
“It’s a trap.”
“Yes.”
“We’re not going.”
“Good.”
He looked suspicious.
“You agreed too easily.”
“I’m learning.”
He kissed her forehead.
Then Noah walked in holding something.
A small black device.
“What’s this?”
Dominic’s face changed.
Tracker.
Victor had planted it inside Noah’s backpack.
Again.
Elena’s fear turned into rage.
Enough.
No more running.
No more hiding.
She looked at Dominic.
“We end it.”
This time he did not tell her to stay behind.
They built a plan.
Victor believed Dominic would come alone.
Instead the basement became monitored from every angle.
Federal agents waited outside.
Elena remained in a surveillance vehicle.
At least, that was the plan.
Victor arrived with one hostage.
Marcus.
He had been transported for a court hearing that morning.
His convoy was attacked.
Dominic stared at his brother.
Victor held a gun against Marcus’s neck.
“Codes.”
“No.”
Victor smiled.
“Still proud?”
Marcus laughed despite the bruises.
“He’s stubborn.”
Victor hit him.
Dominic’s face hardened.
“Do that again.”
“And?”
“You’ll find out.”
Victor wanted account access.
Dominic stalled.
Gabriel waited for position.
Then Marcus saw the surveillance camera.
He understood.
He deliberately stepped backward onto Victor’s foot.
Victor stumbled.
Dominic moved.
Agents entered.
Victor fired once.
The bullet struck stone.
Marcus tackled him.
For a man in prison clothing, he moved surprisingly well.
Gabriel disarmed Victor.
Finished.
This time truly.
Afterward Dominic sat beside Marcus on the basement floor.
The same floor where Marcus had once chained him.
Marcus laughed.
“Life has a sense of humor.”
Dominic looked at him.
“You saved me.”
“Don’t make it emotional.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Marcus looked toward the wall.
“I’m sorry.”
Dominic went quiet.
“For the basement?”
“For everything.”
Years of hatred sat between them.
Dominic could not erase it.
Neither could Marcus.
Finally Dominic said:
“I don’t forgive all of it.”
Marcus nodded.
“But?”
“I don’t hate you anymore.”
Marcus looked down.
“That’ll do.”
Elena watched from the stairs.
Brothers.
Broken.
Not repaired.
But beginning.
Outside, Noah ran toward them.
Marcus crouched.
Noah stopped.
Then handed him a new dinosaur drawing.
This one had no horns.
Marcus looked at it.
“What am I now?”
Noah grinned.
“A good guy.”
Marcus swallowed.
“Kid, you may want to raise your standards.”
Noah hugged him anyway.
Marcus closed his eyes.
Dominic turned away.
Elena saw the tears.
Pretended she didn’t.
That night, after everyone left, Dominic brought Elena to the garden behind the estate.
No basement.
No reporters.
No danger.
Just string lights.
Snow.
Noah holding a box.
Elena stared.
“You recruited my child?”
“He negotiated aggressively.”
Noah handed Dominic the ring.
Dominic knelt.
“This location acceptable?”
Elena laughed.
“Much better.”
He looked up.
“Elena Morales, you found me when I had nothing.”
Her eyes filled.
“No power. No freedom. No reason to believe anyone would come back.”
He took her hand.
“You came back anyway.”
She started crying.
“You saved my life.”
He looked toward Noah.
“Then you trusted me with yours.”
His voice broke slightly.
“I can’t promise there will never be hard days.”
“Good.”
“But I can promise you’ll never face one alone.”
Elena nodded through tears.
“Yes.”
Dominic blinked.
“I didn’t ask yet.”
“You talk too much.”
Noah laughed.
Dominic smiled.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
May you like
This time—
definitely yes.
