Dominic’s POV
The morning had begun like any other in my role as Capo until Zoe stord into my office at Zenith Systems, her phone displaying a video call that would ignite my blood like gasoline. Lila’s voice crackled through the speaker, detailing how Jude, Xavier, Caleb, and Daniel had cornered Gemma like she was so low-level snitch, interrogating her about the death threats that had been arriving at her apartnt.
My fist crashed against the mahogany desk, sending papers scattering across the floor. "Those bastards crossed the line!" The rage coursing through my veins was the kind that usually preceded bloodshed in our world.
"Dominic, I’m taking the girls to find Gemma," Zoe declared, her voice carrying the steel that made her my most trusted lieutenant. "Nora’s coming with ."
"I’m coming too," I growled, already reaching for my shoulder holster.
Zoe’s expression hardened. "Not a smart move, boss. Gemma’s shattered right now. She needs her friends, not..." She paused, choosing her words carefully in a world where the wrong phrase could an a bullet.
"Not the Capo whose brothers just treated her like she was working for a rival family?" I finished, running my hand through my hair. The irony wasn’t lost on - in our world, such interrogations usually ended with shallow graves. "Zo, don’t leave in the dark. I need confirmation she’s breathing."
"I’ll keep you in the loop, I swear on my life," she promised, and in our world, that oath carried weight. "anwhile, feel free to remind those morons how badly they crossed the line."
"Oh, I intend to make that crystal clear," I snarled. "And tell Ruby and Lila their positions in the organization are secure. My protection extends to them always."
"Understood, Dominic." Zoe paused at the door. "You know, when the smoke clears, you’re the most honorable of all of them."
Her words brought a brief warmth to my chest, but it vanished as she left. I needed answers from my supposed brothers-in-arms. Grabbing my encrypted phone, I dialed Caleb, who answered before the second ring.
"You already know what went down," his voice carried the weight of soone who’d realized his mistake too late.
"Damn right I know," I snapped. "So loyalty you showed. I asked you to keep her safe within our territory, and instead, you threw her to the wolves like she was marked for death!"
"Dominic, things spiraled out of control. Everyone was on high alert after those threats—"
"When Ivy needed the family’s protection," I cut him off, my voice dropping to the deadly quiet tone that made grown n sweat, "I mobilized half my crew. Not just because she’s family now, but because you’re my brother. But you couldn’t extend the sa honor to Gemma - or to ."
"I’m losing my mind here too, Dominic! I wasn’t thinking strategically. Daniel went full enforcer mode, Jude and Xavier followed his lead, and everything went to hell."
"Yeah, it went to hell alright. Real family loyalty you all showed." I ended the call before my temper could unleash words that would require bloodshed to resolve.
As hours crawled by with no word from Gemma, my anxiety transford into the kind of paranoid rage that had built my reputation in the underworld. I dispatched Mia to track Marcus’s movents, knowing that bastard would strike when I was most vulnerable. The uncertainty was eating alive, and I paced my penthouse like a caged predator until the four architects of this disaster finally appeared, looking like n walking to their execution.
"Dominic, I fucked up," Daniel stepped forward, his usual confidence replaced by the deference owed to a superior. "I let paranoia cloud my judgnt."
"Clouded judgnt?" I laughed, the sound carrying no humor. "Gemma’s missing, Roman’s out there making moves against our interests, and yet you idiots decided she was the threat? Roman’s blood is on Caleb’s hands, but I don’t see you treating him like a potential rat."
"You’re absolutely right," Caleb admitted. "Roman’s far more likely to spill blood than whoever’s locked up sending those letters."
"Then why put her through an interrogation that would make our enemies proud?" I demanded, struggling to keep my voice below the level that would bring my security detail running.
Xavier threw his hands up. "Because we’re fucking idiots who forgot the code!"
Before anyone could respond further, Mia burst through the door like she was reporting an incoming hit. "Dominic, Marcus left his safe house this morning and vanished. None of his usual contacts have seen him. Our street sources have gone dark. He’s completely off the grid."
"MOTHER OF GOD!" I collapsed onto the leather couch, my head in my hands. "That psychopath’s going to make his move on her. I need to find Gemma now, or I’ll be identifying her body!"
"We’ll mobilize the entire network, Dominic," Jude tried to reassure , but I wanted nothing more than to introduce his face to my brass knuckles.
Daniel pulled out his secure phone. "I’ll have Adler trace her cell signal through our police contacts."
"Just so we’re all clear on the hierarchy here," I announced with deadly calm, "I’ve already guaranteed Lila and Ruby permanent positions under my protection."
Xavier’s brow furrowed. "That’s not necessary, Dominic."
"Unlike so people, I treat those under my wing with respect and honor," I shot back.
By evening, Zoe confird through encrypted channels that Gemma had ssaged her, claiming safety but demanding space. The news brought minimal relief - in our world, ’safe’ was relative, and I needed eyes on her to verify she wasn’t bleeding out sowhere.
"Adler tracked her phone through the network," Daniel announced. "She’s at her apartnt."
The confirmation loosened the vice grip around my chest slightly.
Xavier cleared his throat. "Let’s head to my place, let things cool down—"
"Not interested," I cut him off coldly. "The last thing I want is to be in the sa room as any of you."
"Dominic..." Caleb tried again.
"I thought true brothers understood when soone needed space," I said bitterly, turning toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked our territory, effectively dismissing them.
Caleb sighed heavily. "When you’re ready to discuss strategy, you know where to find us."
After they left, I stood staring at the city lights until exhaustion claid . I woke to Zoe gently shaking my shoulder the following morning.
"Dominic, go ho and rest properly," she urged. "Take the day to regroup."
"Have you made contact with her?" I asked imdiately, my voice hoarse.
"Not yet, but we confronted those four idiots - all of them, even Finn who stayed clean."
"You won are the real soldiers in this organization," I managed a weak smile. "Zo, I’m terrified for her life."
"We’ll handle this situation, boss."
"Marcus’s hunting her," I confessed. "Recently, he threatened that if I don’t surrender my territory soon, he’ll take her piece by piece."
Mia entered, catching my words. "Give him what he wants, Dominic," she urged desperately. "You know that monster - he’ll destroy her in ways that would make our enemies sick."
"I know, Mia, but his demands would an betraying everything I’ve built. I thought I could shield her..." My voice faded.
"Marcus can only touch Gemma if he forces a confrontation," Zoe reasoned, then seeing our expressions, her face went white. "He wouldn’t resort to that... would he?"
"He would do things that would make seasoned killers vomit," Mia whispered before fleeing the room.
"Dominic," Zoe’s voice carried both gentleness and steel.
"Marcus is a demon wearing human skin, Zoe," I gripped her hand like a lifeline. "I don’t know how to stop him without starting a war. Please find Gemma and convince her to co back to . I can only protect her if she’s within my territory, under my guns."
"We will protect her, Dominic," Zoe vowed, but the fear of failing Gemma - of failing to shield her from Marcus’s sadistic hunger - settled on my shoulders like a death sentence I wasn’t sure I could escape.
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