Chapter 4 - The Midnight Ambush
The rain had turned into a slashing sleet when three black armored SUVs pulled into the derelict industrial terminal by the river. Norah sat in the rear seat of the lead vehicle, dressed in a sharp black coat that concealed her trauma kit, her fingers nervously tracing the outline of her medical scissors.
Beside her, Dominic sat clad in a tailored charcoal overcoat, his right arm resting deceptively inside his sling, beneath his lapel. To an outside observer, he looked untouchable, relaxed, and lethal. Only Norah could feel the feverish heat radiating from his side, only she knew that three layers of compression bandages and a localized pain-blocking injection were the only things keeping him upright.
""Stay behind Leo,"" Dominic instructed softly, his shoulder brushing against hers in the darkness of the SUV. ""No matter what happens, keep your head down.""
""Don't play the hero,"" she muttered back, her voice tight. ""Your heart rate is 110. Breathe slowly.""
Dominic stepped out into the freezing deluge, every inch the terrifying Don the underworld dreaded. Norah followed closely with Leo, the icy wind whipping her hair across her face.
Inside the cavernous, echoing warehouse, twenty heavily armed men stood in a semicircle around Julian. Wooden crates filled with illegal shipments sat stacked around them, under the harsh glare of halogen work lights.
""Dominic,"" Julian smiled, stepping forward with his hands open, though his guards held their rifles at low ready. ""You look remarkably healthy for a man supposedly crippled by a hollow-point slug.""
""Disappointed, Julian?"" Dominic walked with slow, deliberate steps toward the center of the ring, his voice echoing off the corrugated steel walls like a tolling bell. ""You told the council I was incapacitated. You tried to auction off my shipping routes to the Valenti family.""
Julian’s face tightened into an ugly sneer. ""And what if I did? You’ve grown soft, Dominic! Hiding in that mountain tomb with a little nurse girl! The city needs a leader who isn't afraid of spilling blood!""
With terrifying speed, Julian reached inside his jacket, drawing a polished semi-automatic pistol.
""Dominic, look out!"" Norah screamed, lunging forward purely on instinct.
Before Julian could level his weapon, Leo drew and fired, the deafening crack of gunfire shattering the warehouse. Julian's shot went wild, ricocheting violently off a steel beam above. Julian collapsed onto the concrete floor, clutching a bleeding shoulder.
A chaotic firefight erupted instantly. Gunfire roared in deafening bursts as Dominic’s loyal men moved with brutal, military efficiency, neutralizing Julian's guards within thirty seconds of chaotic, smoke-filled carnage.
Norah was shoved against an iron support beam by Leo, her heart thumping violently against her ears. As the gunfire died down, she looked toward the center of the warehouse.
Dominic was still standing tall, smoke curling from his own sidearm which he had drawn with his left hand. But as Julian lay groaning in defeat on the wet concrete, Dominic's knees suddenly buckled.
Norah didn't hesitate. Ignoring the smell of sulfur and the fallen bodies, she rushed through the smoke and caught Dominic right before his chest hit the cold, greasy floor.
""I’ve got you,"" she gasped, wrapping her arms around his waist, struggling under his immense weight. Blood was pouring down his side, soaking straight through his fine wool coat. ""Leo! Help me get him back to the car now!""
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Dominic's heavy gaze rolled toward her, his lips parted in a pained, breathless whisper. ""You stayed... you didn't run...""
""Shut up, Dominic,"" tears of pure adrenaline mixed with rain on her cheeks as she pressed her bare hand against his torn shoulder. ""You're going to survive this night, do you hear me? I command it.""
