I silently warned the most feared mafia boss in New York that his drink had been poisoned, knowing both crime families would kill me if anyone noticed. He caught my tiny signal in an instant, and the look he gave me made it clear my life would never belong to me again.

"Lydia! Stop!"

It was Leo. He dragged himself up the last two steps, his tactical vest torn, blood dripping from a cut above his eyebrow.

"Leo!" I dropped to my knees, helping him up against the concrete wall. "Where is Dominic?"

"He's... he's down there," Leo panted, clutching his ribs. "Castellano had a secondary team. Dominic cleared the room, but Sal ran for the boat launch!"

I didn't think. I didn't wait for permission.

I grabbed a discarded flashlight from the floor and sprinted down the concrete stairs into the bunker.

The lower floor was a nightmare of shattered glass, spent shell casings, and fallen bodyguards. The air was thick with the bitter smell of cordite. I ran past the main security hub, following the trail of blood down a narrow tunnel that led toward the water.

At the end of the tunnel was a wide concrete launch bay opening directly into the dark ocean.

A high-powered cigarette boat was idling near the dock, its engine roaring.

On the slippery concrete pier, two men were grappling violently.

Dominic and Sal Castellano.

Sal was desperate, fighting like a cornered animal, wielding a heavy iron wrench. He slammed the wrench against Dominic's injured shoulder. Dominic grunted in pain, stumbling back toward the edge of the deep water.

Sal raised the wrench high, his face twisted in psychotic fury. "Die, you bastard!"

"Sal!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, shining the high-powered flashlight beam directly into his eyes!

The blinding beam of light hit Sal full in the face. He winced, instinctively turning his head and shielding his eyes with his arm.

That half-second was all Dominic needed.

Dominic swept Sal's legs with a brutal kick. Sal crashed onto the concrete pier, dropping the wrench. Before he could recover, Dominic stepped over him, drawing his firearm and pressing the cold barrel directly against the center of Sal Castellano's forehead.

Sal lay on the wet stone, panting, looking up into the face of his executioner.

"Wait..." Sal wheezed, blood pouring from his mouth. "Dominic... please. We can share the docks... we can make millions..."

Dominic didn't answer. His face was carved out of granite, his icy eyes completely lifeless. He glanced up at me standing at the mouth of the tunnel, holding the flashlight with shaking hands.

"Look away, Lydia," Dominic said softly.

I didn't look away. I couldn't. I held his gaze, letting him know that I was there, that I wasn't afraid of the monster he had to be to keep us alive.

BANG.

A single shot echoed off the stone walls of the harbor, swallowed instantly by the roaring ocean waves.

Sal Castellano went limp.

Dominic lowered his gun, letting out a long, slow breath. He turned around, his dark hair plastered to his forehead by the ocean spray, and walked slowly toward me.

He stopped inches away, looking down at my pale, determined face.

"I told you to stay upstairs," he whispered, his voice trembling slightly with exhaustion.

"And I told you I'm not good at following rules," I replied softly.

Dominic let out a low, ragged laugh. He reached out, wrapping his strong arms around me, pulling me against his wet, blood-stained chest, burying his face in my hair.