Chapter 10 - Trial by Gunfire
"You die first, Mercer!" Julian snarled, his face twisted in psychotic fury as he pressed the blade down against Dominic’s neck. "Then I break her piece by piece!"
Dominic’s hands locked around Julian’s wrists, veins bulging in his neck, the blade drawing a thin line of scarlet along his skin. "You touched... my family!" Dominic ground out through clenched teeth.
With a final surge of monstrous strength, Dominic drove his knee into Julian's shattered shoulder wound. Julian shrieked in agony, his grip slackening for half a second.
Dominic headbutted him with bone-shattering force.
Julian stumbled backward into the center of the warehouse puddle. He looked up, dazed and bleeding, only to find himself staring down the barrel of my weapon.
I stood beside Dominic, his arm wrapping around my waist to steady me as my legs threatened to give out. Caleb peeked out from behind the steel container, watching safely from the rear.
"It's over, Julian," I said, my voice echoing in the vast, silent warehouse.
Julian wiped blood from his mouth, looking at the two of us standing together—two broken, dangerous survivors united by love and loyalty. A twisted laugh escaped his lips.
"You think killing me ends it, Evie?" Julian whispered. "The syndicate has ten more like me. You'll always be a ghost. You'll always be running."
Dominic stepped forward, his hand gently resting over mine on the grip of the gun.
"She isn't running anymore," Dominic said with absolute authority. "Because whoever comes for her has to go through the entire Mercer empire first."
Julian reached behind his back for a hidden backup pistol.
We didn't give him the chance.
Together, Dominic's hand over mine, we pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck true. Julian Kane collapsed backward into the shallow water, his eyes glassing over in the dim moonlight. This time, there was no explosion to obscure his death. No uncertainty. The ghost was finally laid to rest.
The silence that followed was broken only by the gentle sound of the morning tide lapping against the wooden pier.
Dominic took the weapon from my trembling fingers, engaging the safety and dropping it to the floor. He turned to me, pulling me into a fierce, breathless embrace. I buried my face in his neck, the tears I had held back for eight years finally washing over my cheeks.
"It's done," Dominic whispered, kissing my hair, his voice thick with raw tenderness. "It's over, Evelyn."
Caleb ran out from the container, wrapping his little arms around both of our legs. "Daddy! Mara! We won!"
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Dominic picked Caleb up in one arm while keeping his other arm locked securely around my waist. The three of us stood together as the first golden rays of dawn broke through the shattered warehouse skylights, scattering the darkness away.
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