Chapter 6 - The Blood Alliance
The attack on the gallery was the breaking point.
When we returned to the estate, the house was transformed into a war room. Dozens of senior syndicate captains arrived from across the state, their heavy cars filling the circular driveway.
Dominic sat at the head of the long conference table in his study, surrounded by his top lieutenants.
I sat in an armchair in the corner of the room, sipping hot tea, refusing to leave despite Dominic’s gentle suggestion that I rest upstairs.
"Marco Vance used an insider to track Chloe’s car to the gallery," Marco, Dominic’s chief of security, reported, setting a tablet on the desk. "It was our cousin's driver. He took fifty thousand from Vance."
"Where is the driver now?" Dominic asked, his voice eerily quiet.
"In the basement," Marco replied simply.
Dominic didn't even blink. "Handle it."
He stood up, looking at the assembled captains. "Tonight, we end the Vance syndicate. Every warehouse, every dock, every illegal casino they operate on the West Side will be taken or burned by morning."
The captains nodded, their expressions grim and determined. "Yes, Don Costa!"
As the men filed out of the room to execute their orders, Dominic remained standing near the window, looking out at the dark, stormy night.
I stood up from my chair and walked over to him, standing quietly at his side.
"You're going out there tonight, aren't you?" I asked softly.
Dominic turned his head to look at me. The harsh, ruthless expression he wore for his men melted away, replaced by a soft, weary tenderness reserved only for me.
"I have to, Sadie," he said gently. "In my world, if a leader does not defend his household personally, he loses the right to lead."
"I don't want you to get hurt," I said, realizing with a sudden, startling clarity how deeply I had come to care for this dangerous, complex man over the last six days.
Dominic reached out, his long fingers gently cupping my cheek, his thumb tracing the line of my lip.
"Five days ago, you were a waitress earning minimum wage," Dominic murmured, searching my eyes. "Now you are standing in a mafia war room worrying about my life."
"You protected me when nobody else would, Dominic," I said, leaning into his touch, my heart beating rapidly. "You gave me a home."
Dominic stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me firmly against his body. He lowered his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine.
"If I come back tonight, Sadie," Dominic whispered, his breath warm against my skin, "I am going to ask you to stay with me forever. Not as a guest. Not as someone under my protection."
My breath hitched in my throat. "And as what?"
May you like
"As my partner," Dominic said, his voice rich and steady. "As the woman who sits beside me on the throne."
Before I could answer, he lowered his lips, kissing me deeply, passionately, sealing a vow between us in the quiet light of the study while the city outside prepared for war.
