Chapter 3 - Blood on the Marble
By Tuesday afternoon, the oppressive silence of the estate was shattered by the arrival of the Rossi syndicate's inner circle. Norah was changing Dominic's dressing in the master suite when the heavy double doors were shoved open with violent disregard.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with slicked-back blonde hair and an expensive gray suit strode into the room, followed by two armed enforcers. His smile was predatory, his eyes scanning the medical equipment with thinly veiled disgust.
""Well, look at our king,"" the man drawled, laughing without humor. ""Hiding away in silk sheets while the Valenti family takes over our shipping lanes at the docks. Rumor on the street was that you were already six feet under, Dominic.""
Norah immediately stepped between the bed and the intruders, her arms crossed, her protective medical instincts overriding all self-preservation. ""This is a sterile recovery zone. You need to leave immediately. He is in no condition to entertain visitors.""
The blonde man stopped, blinking in astonished amusement at the slender woman standing defiantly before him. ""And what little alley stray are you? Dominic, are you letting housemaids dictate who speaks to your underboss?""
""Watch your tongue, Julian,"" Dominic's voice rang out—not the voice of an invalid, but the deep, terrifying thunder of an apex predator. He sat upright, ignoring the sharp, tearing agony in his stitched shoulder, his eyes turning to black ice. ""Miss Hayes is here on my direct authority. You take one more step toward her, and I'll have Leo hang your carcass from the gatehouse.""
Julian's smile vanished, replaced by a snarl of bitter resentment. ""The council wants answers, Dominic. The docks are bleeding money. Either you walk into the warehouse tonight to show you're still drawing breath, or we vote for a new Don.""
""The meeting is at midnight,"" Dominic said, his tone devoid of all warmth. ""Now get out of my sight before I lose my patience.""
Julian glared at Norah, sneering with open contempt before spinning on his heel and storming out, his bodyguards trailing close behind.
The moment the doors slammed shut, Dominic slumped forward with a muffled groan of agony. Fresh crimson bloomed across the white gauze covering his collarbone.
""You idiot!"" Norah cried, dropping to her knees beside the bed, tearing open a sterile pack to inspect the damage. ""You just tore two of the external anchoring sutures! Why do you let your pride destroy your body?""
""In my world, Norah, weakness is an instant execution,"" Dominic breathed, his face drained of color as she pressed a sterile pad against the fresh tear. ""If Julian senses I cannot hold a weapon tonight, half my men will defect before morning, and a full-scale turf war will turn this city into a slaughterhouse.""
""You can't go to any dock tonight!"" Norah snapped, her voice trembling with genuine terror for him. ""Your shoulder cannot sustain mechanical recoil! If you fire a gun, you will completely sever the axillary artery! You'll drown in your own blood in less than ninety seconds!""
Dominic reached up, his cool fingers wrapping gently around her chin, forcing her to look directly into his haunted, iron gaze. ""Then come with me.""
Norah froze, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. ""What?""
""Dress as my personal attending medic,"" Dominic whispered, his thumb lightly grazing the soft curve of her jawline. ""Stand by my side. If my stitches tear, you fix them. If I fall, you keep me alive. I pay you fifty thousand dollars in cash tonight, Norah. Enough to leave this city, buy a clinic of your own, and never bow to an eviction notice again.""
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Norah looked at the dark fire burning in his eyes. She saw the deadly mobster who ruled the city with fear, but she also saw a desperately isolated man fighting for his survival among traitors.
""I won't let you die out there,"" she whispered, her resolve hardening. ""Not for the money. But because you're my patient, Dominic, and I don't abandon my people.""
