The Mafia Boss Caught Me Packing At 2 AM—When He Saw Who I Was Exchanging Myself For, He Locked The Exit And Called His Entire Army

Rostov backed away toward the rear exit of the catwalk, abandoning his guards without a second thought. "Kill them!" he shrieked.

The gunfire erupted with the ferocity of a sudden hurricane.

Dominic didn't duck. He pulled Nora behind the heavy steel support pillar with one arm, using his own broad body as a human barricade against flying sparks and concrete chips.

His private soldiers moved with terrifying, surgical precision. Within four seconds, the three guards on the catwalk were neutralized, their bodies collapsing against the corrugated metal siding.

Arthur, Dominic’s veteran enforcer, bounded up the iron stairs two at a time, pulling a combat knife from his tactical vest. With a single flick of his wrist, he severed the zip-ties binding Lily’s wrists.

"Got her, boss!" Arthur bellowed over the dying echoes of gunfire.

"Bring her down!" Dominic shouted back.

Lily scrambled down the stairs, tripping on the bottom step before tumbling directly into Nora’s arms.

The two sisters collided on the wet concrete floor, weeping, clutching each other as if the entire world were falling apart around them.

"Lily, oh God, Lily," Nora cried, running her hands through her sister’s damp hair, checking her face, her arms, her neck for injuries. "I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this happened."

"He said they were going to kill you, Nora," Lily sobbed, burying her face into her sister’s cashmere coat. "He said you were working for criminals and that you betrayed them."

Dominic stepped out from behind the pillar, his eyes sweeping over the two women. The fierce, terrifying predator that had just orchestrated a military siege softened instantly.

He knelt beside them on the gravel, pulling a clean linen handkerchief from his pocket and offering it to Lily.

"Take a deep breath, Miss Hughes," Dominic said softly. "The danger is over."

Lily looked at him, her eyes wide with awe and lingering terror. "Who are you?"

"He's my boss, Lily," Nora whispered, looking up at Dominic with an expression of overwhelming, breathless gratitude.

"No, Nora," Dominic said, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made the surrounding warehouse disappear. "I am the man who owes you three years of peace. Arthur, escort Miss Hughes to the secondary vehicle. Have Dr. Vance meet them at the uptown suite."

"Wait, Nora!" Lily pleaded as Arthur gently guided her toward an armored sedan.

"Go with him, Lily," Nora promised, squeezing her sister’s trembling fingers. "I'll be right behind you. I swear."

As the vehicle carrying Lily pulled out of the bay, Dominic turned back toward the dark shadows at the rear of the pier where Rostov had fled.