Chapter 7 - The Safehouse In The Pines
Two hours before dawn, an armored SUV navigated the twisting dirt roads cutting through the dense pine forests two hours north of the city. The property belonged to Dominic’s family—an old, fortified lodge hidden beneath thick canopies of hemlock, completely off the grid.
Maya sat in the backseat, securely strapped in, gazing out the tinted window at the towering, shadowed trees. She hadn't spoken since they left the city, but her eyes followed Dominic’s every move with razor-sharp awareness.
""Are we hiding from the bad men?"" she asked suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence of the cabin.
Dominic glanced at her through the rearview mirror. He had never raised a child, nor had he ever intended to. The violence of his world left no room for vulnerability. Yet, seeing his own jawline reflected in her fragile features stirred a ferocious, foreign protectiveness in his chest.
""We aren't hiding,"" Dominic replied plainly. ""We are preparing.""
""Mommy said you were a protector,"" she whispered, stroking the rabbit's torn ear. ""She said if the world got too loud, you would make it quiet.""
A tight ache settled beneath Dominic's ribs. Five years ago, he had believed Elena betrayed him, walking away without an explanation on the eve of his ascension to syndicate leadership. Now, the cruel truth laid itself bare: she had fled to shield their unborn child from the very violence he commanded.
They reached the lodge, its heavy cedar beams and reinforced steel shutters blending seamlessly into the mountain ridge. Dominic unlocked the heavy timber door, carrying their minimal supplies inside.
He settled Maya onto a leather couch near the cold hearth, lighting a fire with dry birch logs. Leaving her with a mug of warm milk, he stepped into the subterranean armory beneath the kitchen floorboards.
Racks of automatic rifles, tactical vests, and explosive charges lined the reinforced walls. Dominic loaded an array of high-caliber magazines with methodical precision. He would dismantle Nikolai’s empire piece by piece.
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Upstairs, the shrill ping of the burner phone broke the quiet. Dominic rushed up the stairs, only to find Maya staring at the handset on the table, her tiny hand frozen mid-reach.
The screen flashed with an incoming video feed.
