Chapter 6 - When the Blizzard Howls
The peace was shattered at dusk.
Dominic’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He stepped into the kitchen to answer it. It was Marco.
"Boss, we have a problem," Marco said, his voice tight. "Vincent’s loyalists—the foreign mercenaries he hired on the side—they hit the warehouse. They got him out."
Dominic’s blood ran cold. "Where are they?"
"They're moving toward the north side. They know you're not at the estate. Dominic, they're coming for the girl's house. They want leverage."
"Get the men," Dominic ordered, his voice shifting instantly back into the authoritative tone of the Don. "Seal off the block. I’m moving Grace and Noah now."
He hung up and walked back into the living room. Grace immediately recognized the look on his face. She stood up, her hand instinctively reaching for Noah.
"What is it?" she asked.
"We have to leave. Now," Dominic said, grabbing their coats from the rack. "Vincent escaped. He’s desperate, and he’s coming here."
Noah looked up, sensing the tension. "Mommy? Are we going on a trip?"
"Yes, sweetie," Grace said, her voice remarkably steady despite the panic in her eyes. "We're going to play a game. Put your coat on, okay?"
Just as Dominic reached for the doorknob, the headlights of three SUVs swept across the living room window.
The sound of tires screeching on ice echoed through the quiet suburban street.
"Back," Dominic hissed, pulling Grace and Noah behind him. He reached inside his coat, drawing his custom semi-automatic pistol. "In the basement. Now. Lock the door and don't come out until I call your name."
"Dominic, no," Grace pleaded, tears spilling over her eyelashes. "Don't leave us."
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"I am never leaving you again," Dominic said, pressing his forehead against hers for a brief, electric second. "But I have to end this. Go."
She grabbed Noah’s hand and ran for the basement stairs. Dominic turned to face the front door as the glass of the living room window shattered inward.
