- 2 days ago
I Inherited My Father's Gambling Debt - The Mafia Boss Said I Could Pay It Back with My Body
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00:00The night smells like rain and iron.
00:02I taste both on my tongue as I sprint down the cracked pavement,
00:06clutching the envelope that's supposed to save me.
00:08My shoes slap the ground, heartbeat stuttering in my ears.
00:11Behind me, footsteps, heavy, confident male.
00:14Stop running.
00:15Sweetheart.
00:16The voice slithers through the dark.
00:19Calm.
00:20Mocking.
00:21Close.
00:22I turn the corner behind O'Malley's bar,
00:24chest burning,
00:25and crash into a wall that isn't a wall.
00:27A body.
00:29Solid muscle.
00:30Heat and the scent of gunpowder.
00:32My palms hit his chest and my breath lodges in my throat.
00:35He doesn't move.
00:36Easy, he says.
00:38Low and smooth.
00:40Like danger wrapped in velvet.
00:43When I look up,
00:44the streetlight catches his face.
00:46Dark hair slicked back.
00:48Jaw dusted in stubble.
00:50Eyes too sharp to be human.
00:52His black coat is lined with rain.
00:54A gun holster gleams against his ribs.
00:56Who?
00:57Who are you?
00:58His gaze drops to the torn envelope in my hands.
01:01That depends.
01:02Are you Lila Mercer?
01:03The way he says my name,
01:05precise, lethal,
01:07makes my stomach drop.
01:08I step back,
01:09but his hand shoots out,
01:10catching my wrist.
01:11Not hard enough to bruise,
01:13but hard enough to remind me who's in control.
01:15I don't know what you think.
01:18He tilts his head.
01:19And suddenly three men round the corner behind me,
01:22dressed in black,
01:23guns visible.
01:24I think,
01:25he says quietly,
01:26you're holding something that belongs to me.
01:29The envelope.
01:30My father's debt notice.
01:32Ten thousand dollars owed to someone named D. Valenti.
01:35My throat goes dry.
01:36You're Dominic Valenti.
01:38He doesn't deny it.
01:39The name is enough to freeze me in place.
01:41Valenti,
01:42owner of half the city,
01:43both above and below ground.
01:45The kind of man mothers warn their daughters about.
01:48He looks down at the envelope again.
01:51Your father had bad habits.
01:53Unfortunately,
01:53those debts don't vanish just because he's in the ground.
01:56My voice cracks.
01:57I didn't even know until last week.
01:59I'm trying to pay it back.
02:01With what?
02:02Waitressing tips?
02:03He steps closer.
02:04The rain runs down his cheekbone,
02:06cutting through the scar that slices across it.
02:09You owe me eighty grand, sweetheart.
02:11Interest compounds when you disappear for six months.
02:14I stumble back until my spine hits the wet brick wall.
02:17I can't.
02:18You will.
02:19The words aren't shouted,
02:20but they slam into me harder than a gunshot.
02:23Behind him,
02:24one of his men mutters something in Italian.
02:26Dominic's jaw flexes,
02:28and the next moment he's holding his gun.
02:30Not aimed at me.
02:31At the man who spoke.
02:33Not here.
02:34He growls.
02:35Then lowers it.
02:36The power shift is immediate.
02:38Everyone obeys him without question.
02:40Even the air seems to.
02:41He turns back to me.
02:43Get in the car.
02:44No.
02:45A muscle jumps in his cheek.
02:47You're not safe here.
02:48Safe from who?
02:49You?
02:50He exhales through his nose,
02:52slow and controlled.
02:54Safe from the men your father owed before me.
02:56The ones who don't care about keeping you alive.
02:59A flash of movement.
03:01Tires screeching at the end of the street.
03:03Two cars slide into view.
03:05Black windows,
03:06tinted headlights.
03:07Dominic curses under his breath.
03:09Too late.
03:10Gunfire erupts.
03:12The sound splits the night apart.
03:14Glass shatters.
03:15Someone shouts.
03:16I drop to the ground instinctively,
03:18arms over my head.
03:19Dominic's body slams into mine,
03:21shielding me.
03:22The smell of gunpowder fills the air.
03:24His coat flares.
03:25His arm braced above me
03:26as bullets slice the brick inches away.
03:29Stay down!
03:30He roars.
03:31I can feel his heartbeat
03:32against my back.
03:33Steady, unflinching.
03:35He moves like he's done this a thousand times.
03:37When the gunfire stops,
03:38he yanks me up
03:39and drags me toward a black SUV
03:40parked half in shadow.
03:42Wait.
03:43My bag.
03:44He doesn't slow.
03:45You won't need it.
03:46I stumble into the passenger seat,
03:48heart hammering.
03:50The door slams,
03:51and before I can breathe,
03:52the car jerks forward.
03:54Tires screech.
03:55Engines roar behind us.
03:56Dominic drives like a man
03:57who owns the city.
03:59Cutting alleys and red lights.
04:01Every turn precise.
04:02What just happened?
04:03I gasp.
04:04He doesn't look at me.
04:06Someone else wanted what your father owed.
04:08They found you before I did.
04:09Who?
04:10Doesn't matter.
04:11His jaw tightens.
04:13You're under my protection now.
04:14I laugh, hollow.
04:16Protection?
04:17You're the reason I'm in danger.
04:19His eyes flick toward me,
04:20cold and sharp.
04:22No.
04:23I'm the reason you're still breathing.
04:25The way he says it.
04:27Controlled fury.
04:28A truth I can't deny.
04:30Makes my pulse stutter.
04:32We drive for what feels like hours
04:34before the city lights fade.
04:36He stops outside a gated mansion
04:38perched on the hill.
04:40Modern glass,
04:41steel,
04:42and stone.
04:43A fortress disguised as a home.
04:45Inside,
04:46the air smells of leather and smoke.
04:48The walls gleam with art
04:49that probably costs more
04:50than my apartment building.
04:52Two guards nod as we pass.
04:54Dominic leads me to a sleek living room
04:56overlooking the city.
04:57Sit.
04:58I stay standing.
05:00You can't just kidnap me.
05:02You'd be dead if I hadn't.
05:04I cross my arms.
05:05So what now?
05:06You keep me locked up
05:07until I magically find eighty grand?
05:10He leans against the counter,
05:11eyes dark.
05:12You can't pay it back with money.
05:14The words hit harder than the gunfire.
05:16What do you mean?
05:17His gaze doesn't waver.
05:19You'll work it off another way.
05:20My stomach twists.
05:22I'm not...
05:23Not what?
05:24His voice drops lower.
05:25Not strong enough?
05:27Not desperate enough?
05:28I glare at him.
05:29I'm not your property.
05:31A flicker of something
05:32crosses his face.
05:34Admiration?
05:35Frustration?
05:36Maybe both.
05:37You're right.
05:38You're not.
05:39Yet.
05:40The word burns in the air.
05:42He steps closer
05:43and the scent of him,
05:44smoke,
05:45whiskey,
05:45danger,
05:46wraps around me.
05:47I should move.
05:48I don't.
05:49He studies me,
05:51eyes flicking over my bruised cheek,
05:53the trembling in my hands.
05:56You're a nurse, right?
05:57Mercy General?
05:58I blink.
05:59How do you know that?
06:00I know everything about you, Lila.
06:02He takes another step.
06:04You work double shifts.
06:05You live alone.
06:07You keep a picture of your father on your fridge,
06:09even though he ruined your life.
06:11My throat tightens.
06:13You had me followed.
06:15Protected.
06:16He corrects softly.
06:19You mean controlled.
06:21His hand lifts,
06:22almost touching my face,
06:24then drops.
06:26Believe what you want.
06:27But if I wanted control,
06:29you'd already be in my bed.
06:31Silence cracks between us,
06:32thick and electric.
06:34Why?
06:34I whisper.
06:36Why help me?
06:37He looks out the window
06:38instead of answering.
06:39Your father once saved a life
06:41that mattered to me.
06:42This is me repaying that debt.
06:44That's the first hint of vulnerability
06:45I see in him.
06:47It shouldn't make him human.
06:48It should make him more dangerous.
06:50But it does both.
06:51I sink onto the couch,
06:52suddenly exhausted.
06:54So what happens now?
06:56You stay here until it's safe.
06:57I can't just vanish.
06:59I have a job.
07:00He cuts me off.
07:01I already called the hospital.
07:02You're on leave.
07:03I stare at him.
07:04You what?
07:05Don't look at me like that.
07:07He says quietly.
07:08If you step outside right now,
07:10they'll find you
07:11before you make it to your car.
07:12I press my palms into my eyes.
07:15Frustration burning.
07:17This isn't fair.
07:19He kneels in front of me,
07:20surprising me.
07:21The shift from predator to man
07:22is dizzying.
07:23Life isn't fair, Lila,
07:25but I'll keep you alive.
07:26You have my word.
07:27When he looks up,
07:28our faces are inches apart.
07:30His gaze drags over my mouth
07:31and the air thickens.
07:33For a second,
07:33neither of us moves.
07:35Then he stands.
07:36Guest room's down the hall.
07:38First door on the right.
07:39I should thank him.
07:40Instead, I mutter,
07:41you think I'll sleep here
07:42after all that?
07:44His mouth curves.
07:45Not a smile.
07:46Something darker.
07:48You'll sleep because you're safe.
07:49And because you trust me.
07:51Even if you don't want to.
07:53He turns and walks away.
07:55His footsteps fade,
07:57leaving me alone in a room
07:58too quiet,
07:59too clean,
08:00too far from everything I know.
08:02But he's wrong.
08:03I don't trust him.
08:05I can't.
08:07Still,
08:07when thunder cracks outside
08:09and I catch his shadow
08:10pacing the hallway,
08:11something deep in my chest
08:13unclenches.
08:14I hate it.
08:16But I also can't look away.
08:21I wake to the smell of coffee
08:23and silence thick enough
08:24to choke on.
08:25For a moment,
08:25I don't remember where I am.
08:27The bed is too soft,
08:28the sheet's too clean,
08:30and the faint hum of security cameras
08:31breaks the quiet.
08:33Then it hits me.
08:34The mansion.
08:36Dominic Valenti.
08:37My father's debt,
08:38my chest tightens.
08:39I push the blanket away
08:40and glance around the room.
08:42Vaulted ceilings,
08:43glass walls,
08:44no visible locks,
08:46but the kind of privacy
08:47that feels like captivity.
08:49There's a folded set of clothes
08:50on the dresser,
08:52my name written on a tag.
08:53He thought of that.
08:55I dress quickly
08:56and step into the hallway.
08:58The house feels like a museum.
08:59Too cold,
09:00too precise.
09:01Everything polished
09:02to the point of sterility.
09:04Except for the faint sound
09:05of piano coming from downstairs.
09:08He's in the main room,
09:10sitting behind a grand piano,
09:11sleeves rolled to his elbows,
09:13playing something slow
09:14and aching.
09:16It's jarring.
09:17This man who gave orders
09:18with a gun
09:19now coaxing tenderness
09:20from ivory keys.
09:22I lean against the doorway.
09:24Didn't think mafia bosses
09:25played piano.
09:26He doesn't look up.
09:28Didn't think nurses
09:29broke into bars at midnight.
09:31Touché.
09:31When the last note fades,
09:34he finally meets my gaze.
09:36His eyes are darker
09:37this morning,
09:38the kind of dark
09:39that pulls you in
09:39instead of pushing you away.
09:41You hungry?
09:42He asks.
09:43I cross my arms.
09:44Depends.
09:45Is it poisoned?
09:46His mouth twitches.
09:48Not today.
09:49The kitchen smells
09:49like espresso and toast.
09:51He slides a plate toward me.
09:53I hesitate,
09:53but hunger wins.
09:55When I take a bite,
09:56his gaze follows the movement
09:57like he's studying
09:58every reaction.
09:59You don't eat enough,
10:01he says.
10:02I roll my eyes.
10:04You don't smile enough.
10:06That earns a low chuckle.
10:07Soft.
10:08Rare.
10:09For the first time,
10:10he looks almost human.
10:12But the illusion cracks
10:13when his phone buzzes.
10:15He answers in Italian,
10:17voice clipped,
10:18sharp.
10:18I don't understand the words,
10:20but I understand the tone.
10:21Threat.
10:22Control.
10:23Death wrapped in business casual.
10:25He ends the call
10:26and notices me watching.
10:28Something wrong.
10:29I ask.
10:30Someone's been asking about you.
10:32A chill runs down my spine.
10:34Who?
10:35Men who don't ask politely.
10:37He takes a sip of coffee
10:38like he's talking about the weather.
10:40You're safe here,
10:42he adds.
10:43But that doesn't mean
10:44they'll stop looking.
10:45I swallow hard.
10:47Why do they want me?
10:48Because your father stole
10:49from more than one family.
10:51And because your leverage.
10:53My stomach nods.
10:54So I'm your hostage?
10:56He sets the cup down.
10:57No.
10:58You're under my protection.
11:00There's a difference.
11:01I stand abruptly, pacing.
11:03That's not protection.
11:04That's prison.
11:05He stands too.
11:06Slower.
11:07Deliberate.
11:08Would you rather be dead?
11:09The words slice between us.
11:11I want to say yes,
11:12to defy him.
11:13But I can't.
11:15Instead, I whisper,
11:16I want to be free.
11:19He takes a step closer,
11:21voice lowering.
11:22Freedom comes with a price.
11:25Everything does.
11:26The tension is suffocating.
11:27I can feel the heat of him.
11:29The weight of his stare.
11:30For one dangerous second,
11:32the world narrows to the space between us.
11:34Then he moves past me,
11:36breaking the spell.
11:37I have a meeting.
11:38Stay inside.
11:39Don't open the door for anyone but me.
11:41Hours crawl by.
11:43I pace.
11:43Clean.
11:44Scroll through the news
11:45on his marble countertop
11:46just to feel normal.
11:47Nothing helps.
11:49Every creak of the house
11:50feels like a trap.
11:51By afternoon,
11:52I find the library,
11:53a cathedral of dark wood and glass.
11:56On one shelf sits a photograph.
11:58Dominic,
11:59younger,
12:00with another man
12:01who looks like him,
12:02but softer.
12:04Both smiling.
12:05When he returns that night,
12:07his suit jacket is gone,
12:08shirt sleeves rolled again.
12:10His knuckles are bruised.
12:12What happened?
12:13I ask before I can stop myself.
12:15He glances down,
12:16almost amused.
12:18Business.
12:19That's blood.
12:19He shrugs.
12:21Not mine.
12:21I should be horrified.
12:23I should run.
12:24But instead,
12:25I grab the first aid kit
12:26from the cabinet.
12:28Old habits.
12:29Sit,
12:29he smirks.
12:30Giving orders now?
12:31Sit,
12:32or I'll sedate you.
12:33He actually obeys.
12:34I kneel,
12:35dabbing antiseptic
12:36across his hand.
12:37The silence between us
12:38hums.
12:39His skin is warm,
12:40his pulse steady.
12:41I can feel his gaze
12:42burning through me.
12:43You don't have to do this,
12:47he murmurs.
12:48I'm a nurse.
12:49It's what I do.
12:51His lips curve slightly.
12:52You fix things.
12:53I don't answer.
12:55My hands tremble
12:55when I wrap the bandage.
12:57His voice drops lower.
12:58You should be careful
12:59touching me like that.
13:01Why?
13:02Because I might get used to it.
13:04My breath catches.
13:05The air thickens again.
13:07I pull back too fast,
13:08knocking the gauze roll
13:09off the counter.
13:10He catches it,
13:11but not before his fingers
13:12brush mine.
13:13The contact is brief,
13:15electric.
13:16Tell me something, Lila.
13:17What?
13:18He leans in,
13:19his voice a whisper.
13:20Are you afraid of me?
13:22Yes,
13:22I breathe.
13:23He nods once.
13:24Good.
13:25You should be.
13:26But his eyes betray him.
13:28There's something else there.
13:29Something that looks
13:30too much like longing.
13:32That night,
13:33a storm traps us in.
13:35Power flickers.
13:36The house hums
13:37with silence again,
13:38but this time
13:39it feels charged.
13:39I find him in his office,
13:41staring at the city lights.
13:44Generator's out,
13:45I say.
13:46It's pitch black
13:47in half the rooms.
13:48He doesn't turn.
13:49Then stay where there's light.
13:51I cross my arms.
13:52Or you could stop
13:53brooding and help.
13:54He finally turns.
13:56You're brave tonight.
13:58Maybe I'm just tired
13:59of being scared.
14:00He steps closer.
14:02Then stop pretending
14:03you don't want to be here.
14:04My pulse skips.
14:06You're imagining things.
14:08Am I?
14:08His hand lifts,
14:09tracing a strand of hair
14:10from my face.
14:11Every time you look at me,
14:12I feel it.
14:14The pull.
14:14You can lie to yourself,
14:16but not to me.
14:17Lightning flashes.
14:18The air hums.
14:19For a moment,
14:20I think he'll kiss me.
14:21I want him to.
14:23Then the lights die completely.
14:25He exhales.
14:26Steps back.
14:28Stay here.
14:29Where are you going?
14:30To fix what's broken.
14:31But minutes later,
14:33shouting erupts outside.
14:34I run to the balcony
14:36and see movement
14:36near the gate.
14:38Men in black.
14:39Flashes of light.
14:40Gunfire.
14:41Dominic storms back inside,
14:43grabs a weapon
14:44from the cabinet.
14:45They found us.
14:47Who?
14:47The De Rossi family.
14:49His tone is pure steel.
14:51Get in the panic room.
14:52Now!
14:53No.
14:54I can help.
14:56You don't argue
14:56when bullets are flying.
14:58I freeze at the command
14:59in his voice.
15:01Something primal in it
15:02makes my body obey
15:03before my mind catches up.
15:05He leads me to a hidden room
15:07behind the bookshelf.
15:09The metal door slides shut,
15:10soundproof.
15:11He hands me his phone.
15:13If I don't come back,
15:14don't say that.
15:15Call the number saved under R.
15:17He'll get you out.
15:19Dominic.
15:20His hand brushes my cheek,
15:21rough and fleeting.
15:23Stay alive for me.
15:25The door seals,
15:26leaving me in darkness.
15:28Minutes stretch like hours.
15:29The gunfire fades.
15:31Replaced by silence
15:32so heavy it makes my skin crawl.
15:34I press my ear to the door.
15:35Nothing.
15:36Then a thud.
15:37Another.
15:38Footsteps.
15:39Dominic?
15:40I whisper.
15:41The door clicks open.
15:43He's there.
15:44Blood splattered on his sleeve,
15:46breathing hard but alive.
15:48It's over,
15:50he says.
15:51I throw my arms around him
15:52before I can stop myself.
15:54He stiffens.
15:55Then exhales,
15:56arms wrapping around me.
15:59His heart pounds against my ear.
16:00Steady.
16:01Real.
16:02I don't care that he's dangerous.
16:04I just care that he's here.
16:06After a moment,
16:07he pulls back,
16:08gaze unreadable.
16:10You shouldn't have done that.
16:11Why?
16:11Because if you keep touching me like that,
16:13I won't let you go.
16:15He walks away before I can answer.
16:18Later.
16:19I find him on the balcony,
16:20rain soaking his shirt,
16:22gun still at his side.
16:24You could have died,
16:25I whisper.
16:27So could you.
16:28Why are you doing this?
16:30He turns,
16:31eyes raw under the lightning,
16:33because I know what it's like
16:34to lose everything.
16:36Something in his voice breaks.
16:38I realize I've never asked
16:39about his past.
16:41My brother,
16:42he says quietly.
16:43He was supposed to take over
16:44after my father.
16:46The Derosses killed him instead.
16:48I made a promise on his grave,
16:50that I'd never let anyone
16:51I cared about get hurt again.
16:53And I remind you of him?
16:55His gaze darkens.
16:56No,
16:57you remind me of what I buried with him.
16:59What's that?
17:00Hope.
17:01The word is so fragile
17:02coming from his mouth
17:03that I forget to breathe.
17:05Then, without warning,
17:06he leans in.
17:08His forehead rests against mine.
17:10Not a kiss,
17:10something more dangerous.
17:12A confession without words.
17:13I can't want you,
17:15he murmurs.
17:15But I do.
17:17Then stop pretending.
17:18He laughs once,
17:19hollow.
17:20You don't know
17:20what you're asking for.
17:23Maybe I do.
17:24We're inches apart
17:25when a shout echoes from below,
17:27his men calling his name.
17:29The moment shatters.
17:31He steps back,
17:32mask sliding into place again.
17:34We leave tomorrow.
17:36They'll come again.
17:38I nod,
17:39though every part of me
17:40wants to stay frozen
17:41in that half second
17:42before duty pulled him away.
17:44As he walks back inside,
17:46I whisper into the rain.
17:48You already own me,
17:50Dominic Valenti.
17:51You just don't know it yet.
17:56The safe house isn't safe.
17:58I know it the moment we arrive.
18:00Too quiet.
18:01Too clean.
18:02Too far from the city's heartbeat.
18:04Dominic's men fan out,
18:05weapons drawn,
18:06their silence heavier
18:07than the night itself.
18:09He leads me to a narrow bedroom.
18:12One bed.
18:13Unmade.
18:14His shirt clings to him
18:15from the rain,
18:16sleeves rolled,
18:17forearms slick and bruised.
18:20Stay here,
18:20he says.
18:22Where are you going?
18:23To make sure this place holds.
18:25He turns,
18:25but I grab his wrist.
18:27You promised me
18:28you'd stop walking into gunfire.
18:30His mouth curves,
18:31tired.
18:32I promise to aim first.
18:34It's supposed to be humor,
18:35but it lands like a confession.
18:37He leaves before I can say anything else.
18:39Hours pass.
18:41Rain pounds the roof.
18:42My nerves buzz like live wire.
18:44When he finally returns,
18:45his expression is carved from stone.
18:47They found us again,
18:48he says.
18:49We leave at dawn.
18:50Something inside me snaps.
18:52Then what, Dominic?
18:54Keep running until we run out of places?
18:56He exhales sharply.
18:57You don't understand this world.
19:00Then make me understand.
19:02Silence stretches.
19:03Then he speaks,
19:04voice low.
19:05You can't reason with men
19:06who trade in blood.
19:08My name protects you,
19:09but it also paints a target.
19:10Anyone who hurts me
19:11will go for what I care about most.
19:13My pulse stutters.
19:15And that's me now?
19:16His jaw tightens.
19:18Yes.
19:19He crosses the room
19:20standing inches from me.
19:22You shouldn't be,
19:23but you are.
19:24I look up at him.
19:26At the man who's killed for survival
19:28and still plays piano at dawn
19:29like he's searching for something pure.
19:31Then stop fighting it.
19:33He moves before I can breathe,
19:35his hand cupping my jaw,
19:37thumb tracing my lower lip.
19:39The air thickens,
19:40heavy with all the words
19:41neither of us can say.
19:43You drive me insane,
19:45he murmurs.
19:46Every instinct I have
19:47tells me to stay away from you.
19:49Every other part of me
19:50wants you right here.
19:53Then take what you want.
19:54He freezes,
19:56eyes darkening.
19:58Careful, Lila.
19:59I don't do gentle.
20:01I don't want gentle.
20:02He exhales a sound
20:03that's half curse,
20:04half surrender.
20:06His lips brush mine,
20:07barely.
20:08Then his phone buzzes,
20:09slicing the moment apart.
20:11He steps back,
20:13voice switching to Italian,
20:14tone clipped and furious.
20:16When he hangs up,
20:17the softness is gone.
20:18What happened?
20:19Betrayal,
20:20he says.
20:21Someone inside my crew
20:22sold us out.
20:23My stomach drops.
20:25Who?
20:25Doesn't matter.
20:26They're coming tonight.
20:28He pulls a gun from the drawer,
20:29checks the chamber.
20:30I realize then,
20:32this isn't a scare tactic.
20:33This is war.
20:35The first gunshot
20:36hits the wall beside the window.
20:37Glass explodes inward.
20:39Dominic drags me down,
20:40pressing me to the floor
20:41as bullets tear through the room.
20:44His men shout,
20:45returning fire.
20:46Basement,
20:47he orders.
20:47Move!
20:48We crawl through the hall,
20:49my ears ringing.
20:51I taste blood.
20:52Someone else's,
20:52maybe mine.
20:54The house groans
20:54under the assault.
20:56We reach the basement stairs.
20:58He shoves me behind
20:59a steel pillar,
21:00fires twice,
21:01then slams the door shut.
21:02Stay down.
21:03The smell of smoke
21:04floods the air.
21:05My pulse hammers.
21:06He reloads,
21:07movements precise,
21:08unshakable.
21:10A shadow moves behind him,
21:11one of his own men.
21:13Gun raised!
21:14Dominic!
21:15He turns as the shot goes off.
21:17The bullet grazes his shoulder
21:18instead of his heart.
21:19He drops the traitor
21:20with one brutal pull
21:21of the trigger.
21:22The man collapses
21:23without a sound.
21:25Dominic's breathing hard.
21:26Blood seeping through his shirt.
21:28I grab his arm.
21:29You're hit.
21:31Doesn't matter.
21:32Like hell it doesn't.
21:34I drag him behind
21:35a concrete wall
21:35and rip his shirt open,
21:37pressing fabric
21:38against the wound.
21:39You'll bleed out
21:40if he catches my wrist.
21:42Lila,
21:43listen to me.
21:44Don't you dare
21:44say goodbye.
21:46His gaze locks on mine.
21:48Intense.
21:48Wild.
21:49Desperate.
21:51If I don't make it,
21:52no.
21:52You run.
21:53You don't look back.
21:54Shut up, Dominic.
21:55He almost smiles
21:56at the ferocity in my voice.
21:58There's that fire again.
22:01Stay with me.
22:02He leans his forehead
22:03against mine,
22:04breathing ragged.
22:06I'm not letting them touch you.
22:08Ever.
22:09The next explosion
22:10rattles the floor.
22:11Smoke thickens.
22:12He pulls me up,
22:13ignoring the blood.
22:15We're ending this now,
22:16outside chaos reigns.
22:18His men fight near the gate,
22:20shadows against flashes
22:21of muzzle light.
22:22The de Rossi car convoy
22:23burns halfway down the hill.
22:25Dominic moves
22:25like a predator unleashed,
22:27precise,
22:28merciless.
22:29The man who once
22:29played piano
22:30with aching restraint
22:31now fires without hesitation.
22:33I follow,
22:34keeping low.
22:36A gunshot slices the air.
22:38Dominic's shoulder jerks,
22:39but he keeps moving.
22:40I grab a dropped weapon,
22:42adrenaline overriding fear.
22:45One of the attackers
22:45rushes him from behind.
22:47I don't think.
22:48Just aim and pull the trigger.
22:50The man drops.
22:52Dominic spins,
22:53shock flashing across his face.
22:55Then pride.
22:56Good girl.
22:57Keep fighting,
22:58I say,
22:58voice shaking.
22:59I'm not losing you.
23:01Together we push forward
23:02until silence replaces gunfire.
23:04The night reeks of smoke and rain.
23:06Bodies on the ground.
23:07His men check the perimeter.
23:09Dominic turns to me,
23:10chest heaving,
23:11eyes unreadable.
23:13You saved my life.
23:14I shake my head.
23:16We saved each other.
23:17His gaze lingers.
23:18Then slowly,
23:19he lowers his gun
23:20and steps closer.
23:22You shouldn't have had to see this.
23:24I did.
23:25And you're not running?
23:27Not from you.
23:29For the first time,
23:30he looks unarmed in every sense.
23:32The armor drops.
23:33His hands tremble slightly
23:34as he reaches for me.
23:36I don't know how to be soft,
23:38he admits,
23:39but I'll try for you.
23:41You already are,
23:43I whisper.
23:44He presses his forehead
23:45against mine again.
23:47But this time,
23:48when his mouth finds mine,
23:50there's no hesitation,
23:52just heat,
23:53exhaustion,
23:53and relief.
23:55The kiss is raw,
23:56desperate,
23:56grounding,
23:57the kind that feels like
23:58coming home
23:59after a lifetime of chaos.
24:00When we break apart,
24:04dawn bleeds through the smoke.
24:07Two days later,
24:08the city is quieter.
24:10The De Rossi family scattered,
24:12the traders dealt with.
24:13Dominic's men keep their distance
24:14when I pass.
24:15Everyone knows now.
24:17She's his.
24:19He sits on the balcony again,
24:21arm bandaged,
24:22watching the skyline.
24:23I join him.
24:25They'll come again,
24:26I say.
24:26He nods.
24:27They always do.
24:29But this time,
24:30I'll be ready.
24:31He looks at me then,
24:33that sharp,
24:34assessing stare
24:34softening at the edges.
24:36You still want to go back
24:38to your old life?
24:39I thought I did,
24:40but that world
24:41doesn't fit anymore.
24:43He studies me
24:44for a long moment.
24:45Then stay.
24:46Not because you owe me.
24:48Because you want to.
24:49I do.
24:50His hand slides over mine,
24:52rough,
24:53careful.
24:53Then you're not
24:55my prisoner anymore.
24:56I smile faintly.
24:58What am I then?
24:59His mouth curves.
25:01Mine.
25:02The word shouldn't sound beautiful,
25:04but it does.
25:05He pulls me close
25:06until I'm in his lap,
25:07his arms circling my waist.
25:09The city glows beneath us,
25:11gold and silent,
25:13like it's holding its breath.
25:15Lila Mercer,
25:17he murmurs against my hair.
25:19You paid your father's debt
25:21a hundred times over.
25:22You just don't know it.
25:24I tilt my head back.
25:26Then what do I owe now?
25:28Nothing, he says.
25:29Except forever.
25:30I kiss him once.
25:32Slow.
25:33Certain.
25:34For the first time in years,
25:35I feel safe.
25:37Not because I'm hidden,
25:39but because I'm seen.
25:40Dominic Valenti's world
25:42will always be dangerous,
25:43but now it's ours,
25:44and for better or worse,
25:46I've chosen it.
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