Chapter 8 - The Reckoning
Dominic looked at Mia, then at Harper. The fear in the child’s eyes vanished, replaced by a strange, calm trust. Dominic knew he had one chance.
"The codes aren't on the drive," Dominic said, stepping forward.
"Don't lie to me!" Nathan lunged, his hand reaching for his own weapon.
Dominic didn't fire at Nathan. He fired at the floorboards beneath the altar, where the ancient, forgotten crypt of his ancestors lay. The wood splintered, and the floor collapsed, sending the altar—and Nathan—tumbling into the darkness below.
Claire screamed and pressed the detonator.
Nothing happened.
Dominic had bypassed the detonator’s frequency the moment he entered the chapel, using the same electronic warfare gear that had killed the perimeter lights. He lunged at Claire, disarming her with a single, brutal movement.
The chapel fell silent, save for the sound of the wind howling outside. Dominic walked to the edge of the pit and looked down. Nathan lay amidst the shattered stone of the crypt, his body broken. He looked up at Dominic, his breath hitching.
"You... you were always... too good," Nathan wheezed.
"I was never good," Dominic corrected him, his eyes cold as granite. "I was just better at surviving."
He turned away, walking to Mia and Harper. He cut their bonds, his hands steady. He wrapped his arms around them, shielding them from the horror of the scene.
"Is it over?" Mia whispered.
Dominic looked at the rubble of his empire, the blood on his hands, and the woman and child he had saved. He realized that the marble steps, the Hudson mansion, and the seventeen years of lies were gone.
May you like
"Yes," Dominic said, looking toward the dawn breaking over the horizon. "It’s over. Let’s go home."
He led them out of the chapel and into the morning light. He didn't look back at the burning remains of the estate. He had lost everything, but for the first time in his life, the man who had been a King was finally free.
