Eva

27

______

The air feels heavy, like the city itself is holding its breath. Dominic’s penthouse glows dimly with the muted lights outside, shadows stretching across the room like silent witnesses. I sit cross-legged on the couch, my laptop resting on my knees. The words on the screen blur together, my mind too crowded with doubts to focus.

Adrian’s email plays on a loop in my thoughts—a warning about the backdoor Conrad used to infiltrate Kane Enterprises, sent months before the first breach. If Dominic knew about it, why didn’t he act?

Across the room, Dominic stands at his desk, silhouetted against the sprawling skyline. His sharp focus is unmistakable, his eyes locked on the screen in front of him. He’s always like this—calm, composed, and unreadable.

But tonight, something is different. His jaw is set tighter than usual, and his shoulders sag just enough to betray the strain he’s trying to hide. He’s unraveling, just like I am.

A knock at the door shatters the fragile quiet. I flinch, my heart lurching in my chest as Dominic straightens, his gaze snapping toward the sound.

He crosses to the security monitor, his movements precise and deliberate. After a moment, his jaw tightens. “It’s Elena,” he says, his voice low.

Elena. Dominic’s assistant. What is she doing here at this hour?

He opens the door, and she steps inside, clutching her purse like a lifeline. Her usual poised demeanor is gone, replaced by dark circles under her eyes and mascara streaks tracing her cheeks.

“Dominic,” she says, her voice cracking. “I need to talk to you. Both of you.”

Dominic closes the door behind her, his movements deliberate and calm. “What’s going on?” he asks, his tone controlled but firm.

Elena’s eyes dart between us, wide and glassy. Her breathing is uneven, and then she breaks. “I can’t keep this to myself anymore,” she says, her words spilling out in a rush. “Conrad… he’s been using me. And .”

I sit up straighter, her words sending a chill down my spine. “What do you mean, using me?”

Elena digs into her purse, her hands trembling as she pulls out a flash drive. She thrusts it toward Dominic, her gaze fixed on the floor. “This has everything. Emails, records, communications. Proof that Conrad’s been pulling the strings from the start—and , he’s been framing you.”

The room tilts, and I clutch the edge of the couch to steady myself. “Framing me?” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

Elena nods, her voice cracking as she continues. “Conrad planted evidence to make it look like you were involved in the leaks. He set you up so Dominic would question you—and so you’d question him. He wanted to keep you both off balance.”

I turn to Dominic, my vision blurring. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something raw and dangerous simmering behind his eyes.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “That doesn’t make sense. I didn’t—”

“You didn’t,” Elena interrupts quickly. “But Conrad made it look like you did. He’s been manipulating everything from the start.”

Dominic takes the flash drive, his knuckles white as he grips it. “Why are you telling us this now?”

Elena hesitates, her tears spilling freely. “Because he threatened me,” she says, her voice breaking. “Conrad found something in my past—something I couldn’t let him expose. He made me help him, but I can’t keep doing this. I had to tell you the truth.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I want to be angry at her, but all I see is the same fear I’ve carried since this nightmare began.

“There’s more,” Elena says, her voice dropping to barely a whisper.

Dominic’s gaze sharpens. “What is it?”

Elena looks at me, her face pale. “Reyes contacted me. He sent a message through Conrad.”

“What message?” Dominic demands, his voice turning ice cold.

She swallows hard, her eyes flicking to me. “He wants you to step down from Kane Enterprises. To walk away completely. And if you don’t…” Her voice catches, and she takes a shuddering breath. “He’ll destroy .”

The room falls into a suffocating silence. My knees buckle, and I grip the back of the couch to keep myself upright.

Dominic’s entire body goes rigid, his breathing sharp and uneven. “When did this happen?”

“Tonight,” Elena whispers. “I saved the message on the flash drive.”

The moment Elena leaves, the silence between Dominic and me is unbearable.

I collapse onto the couch, my hands trembling. “This is my fault,” I whisper, the words spilling out before I can stop them. “I let myself get pulled into this.”

Dominic kneels in front of me, his hands framing my face. “No, . This isn’t your fault. This is on Conrad and Reyes. Not you.”

“But they’re using me against you,” I say, my voice breaking. “And now you’re being forced to choose between me and your company.”

His thumbs brush away the tears I didn’t realize were falling. “There’s no choice to make. You come first, . Always.”

His words are a lifeline, but they can’t erase the doubt twisting in my chest. Reyes has forced Dominic into an impossible position, and no matter how much he promises, I can’t shake the fear that he’ll lose everything because of me.

Hours pass in a blur of tense phone calls and endless files. Adrian arrives with his laptop, plugging the flash drive into its port.

“It’s worse than we thought,” Adrian says grimly. “Conrad fabricated a paper trail connecting to the leaks. If this gets out, it could ruin her—and Kane Enterprises.”

Dominic’s jaw tightens, his expression dark. “Can we trace it back to Conrad?”

“Not directly,” Adrian admits. “But the patterns match his previous work. If we can get him to slip, we’ll have him.”

“And Reyes?” I ask, my voice steady despite the fear curling in my chest.

Adrian hesitates. “He’s staying one step ahead. But this proves he’s involved. If we can find a direct link between him and Conrad, we can take them both down.”

Dominic nods, his focus razor-sharp. “Then we force their hand.”

Just as the tension between Dominic and me begins to ease, his phone buzzes. He reads the message, his expression darkening with every word.

“What is it?” I ask, dread pooling in my stomach.

He hands me the phone. The message is short, chilling:

“Tick-tock, Kane. You’re already too late.”

Before I can process the words, the lights in the penthouse flicker and go out, plunging us into darkness.

“Dominic,” I whisper, my voice shaking.

He pulls me close, his body tense, protective. “Stay with me. Don’t move.”

A faint noise echoes from the hallway—footsteps.

They’re here.

The darkness presses down on us, every sound amplified by the absence of light. My breath catches in my throat as Dominic’s grip on my arm tightens. His warmth is a lifeline, anchoring me in the void.

“Stay quiet,” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

I nod, though he can’t see me, and follow his lead as he guides me toward the kitchen. The faint creak of floorboards sends a shiver down my spine. The footsteps are steady, deliberate—someone is searching, taking their time.

“Dominic,” I murmur, my voice trembling. “What do we do?”

“We adapt,” he says, his tone firm but quiet. “This is my home. I know it better than they do. Stay low, and don’t leave my side.”

We crouch behind the island counter, the cool marble pressing against my back. My pulse thunders in my ears, each second stretching into eternity. Dominic reaches for his phone, using the faint glow of the screen to check the security cameras.

“Three of them,” he mutters, his voice laced with tension. “Two in the hall, one in the living room. They’re armed.”

“Reyes’s men?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

“Who else?” he replies grimly.

The footsteps grow louder, and I instinctively press closer to Dominic. He tilts his head, listening intently, his body coiled like a spring.

“They’re testing us,” he says, his tone cold and calculating. “They want to see if we’ll panic.”

The faint sound of a voice drifts through the darkness, low and mocking. “Come out, Kane. We know you’re here. Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”

My stomach churns at the smugness in his tone. Whoever this man is, he’s confident—too confident.

Dominic exhales slowly, his breath warm against my cheek. “They’re trying to rattle us,” he whispers. “But they don’t realize who they’re dealing with.”

I glance at him, the faint glow of his phone illuminating his sharp features. His expression is unreadable, but his eyes burn with quiet fury.

“What’s the plan?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

Dominic meets my gaze, his hand brushing against mine. “We wait for them to get closer. Then we move.”

Before I can respond, the voice calls out again. “You can’t hide forever. Reyes has a message for you—and for your little journalist friend.”

The mention of me sends a jolt of fear through my chest. Dominic’s jaw tightens, and I see the muscles in his neck flex as he fights to keep his composure.

Dominic leans closer, his voice low and steady. “They think they have the upper hand. We’ll let them believe that—until it’s too late.”

I nod, swallowing my fear. “What do you need me to do?”

“Stay close,” he says firmly. “When I move, follow me. Don’t stop for anything.”

The footsteps grow louder, the intruders moving methodically through the penthouse. I grip the edge of the counter, my knuckles white as I brace myself for what’s to come.

Suddenly, a shadow appears in the doorway to the kitchen, backlit by the faint emergency lights from the hall. The intruder steps forward, his gun raised, his movements slow and deliberate.

Dominic doesn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, he lunges, grabbing a heavy skillet from the counter and swinging it with precision. The impact is sickening, the intruder crumpling to the floor with a groan.

“Move!” Dominic hisses, pulling me to my feet.

We dart toward the hallway, my heart pounding as I struggle to keep up. Behind us, a second man shouts, his footsteps thundering across the floor.

“Down!” Dominic shouts, pushing me to the ground just as a gunshot rings out.

The sound is deafening, the bullet ricocheting off the wall inches from my head. Dominic fires back, his movements quick and controlled. The second man stumbles, clutching his shoulder as he collapses against the wall.

The third intruder appears at the end of the hall, his gun trained on us. Dominic pulls me behind him, his body a shield as he fires again.

The man ducks, taking cover behind a bookshelf, his return fire splintering the wood around us.

“, stay down,” Dominic commands, his voice sharp.

I nod, pressing myself against the floor as he moves to the side, his movements fluid and precise. He fires again, the sound sharp and echoing, and I hear the intruder cry out in pain.

It’s over as quickly as it began. The hall falls silent, the only sound my ragged breathing and the faint hum of the city outside.

Dominic kneels beside me, his hands on my shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

I shake my head, my throat too tight to speak.

“Good,” he says, his voice softer now. “Stay here. I need to check the rest of the penthouse.”

“No,” I say, grabbing his arm. “I’m coming with you.”

He hesitates, his eyes scanning my face. Finally, he nods. “Stay close. And if I tell you to run, you run. Understand?”

“Understand,” I whisper.

We move cautiously through the penthouse, Dominic’s gun raised as he clears each room. My hands tremble as I clutch a makeshift weapon—a heavy candlestick I grabbed from the hallway.

When we reach the living room, I freeze. The glass coffee table is shattered, shards scattered across the floor. But it’s what’s scrawled on the wall in bold, red letters that makes my blood run cold:

"This is just the beginning."

Dominic’s hand tightens on his gun, his jaw clenched. “They’re trying to send a message.”

“They’ve already sent it,” I say, my voice barely audible.

He turns to me, his expression hard but protective. “We’re going to make them regret it.”

Adrian arrives minutes later, his team sweeping the penthouse for any remaining threats. The intruders are restrained, their weapons confiscated.

“This wasn’t just a scare tactic,” Adrian says, his tone grim. “They wanted you dead, Dominic. Both of you.”

Dominic nods, his focus unwavering. “Then we hit back. Hard.”

Adrian’s gaze flicks to me, his expression unreadable. “, are you okay?”

I nod, though my hands are still shaking. “I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t stay here,” Adrian says to Dominic. “It’s too dangerous. They know this place too well.”

Dominic’s jaw tightens, but he nods. “We’ll relocate. But first, I want answers.”

He turns to one of the restrained intruders, his expression cold and unyielding. “Who sent you?”

The man glares up at him, blood trickling from a cut on his temple. “You already know the answer,” he sneers.

“Reyes,” Dominic says, his voice like steel.

The man’s smirk fades, replaced by a flicker of unease. “You’re wasting your time, Kane. Reyes is untouchable.”

“Everyone’s touchable,” Dominic replies, his tone icy. “And I’m going to prove it.”

As the intruders are dragged away and Adrian’s team begins securing the penthouse, Dominic turns to me, his expression unreadable.

“We need to leave,” he says. “Tonight.”

I nod, my chest tight with fear and resolve. “Where do we go?”

“To finish this,” he says simply.

His phone buzzes, breaking the moment. He glances at the screen, his expression darkening.

“What is it?” I ask, my voice shaking.

He shows me the message.

“Tick-tock, Kane. You’ve only scratched the surface.”

The weight of the words presses down on us as the lights flicker back to life, casting the penthouse in harsh, cold light.

Dominic meets my gaze, his blue eyes burning with determination. “They want a war,” he says quietly. “We’ll give them one.”