Chapter 28 Dominic
Chapter twenty-eight
Dominic
That cunning bastard. He fucking set me up, managed to plant those pieces of evidence. Now the Saudis think I did it. They think I killed their general’s son. And they’ll be here any moment.
The package they sent me still sits open on my desk. After the initial shock, I wanted nothing more than to storm the basement and put a bullet between Marcus’ eyes. But I had to be rational.
If we don’t find Dean or Bella in time, that bastard might be our only evidence pointing to the fact that we were framed…
Marcus had admitted making the video in which he confessed I ordered the assassination on the general’s son.
But admitting he was coerced into making the video isn’t enough to disprove the narrative.
And that’s one thing about the Saudi army. They don’t just stumble into war. They strike with brutality and precision…and they don’t forgive.
The general’s army is powerful. We could go against them, but the casualties may be far too great to bear…especially since all of this is stemming from Dean’s masterpiece of deception.
I must admit, that bastard was meticulous with his plan.
General Malik has every reason to believe I did it.
Khalid, his son, was trying to broker an arms deal with the U.S.
government when he was assassinated. My mafia is the major broker of weapons in New York.
It makes sense that I took out his son to keep my monopolized equation stable.
My chest burns with rage as I sit up in my chair, brainstorming. Matteo stands in the corner, silent, but his eyes are on me. We’ve readied the men for any attack and he’s waiting to go into battle.
There’s no way out of this, and that’s what angers me the most. That something so tangible is dependent on Dean’s willingness to renounce the narrative. Fuck!
I can’t fucking let Dean’s betrayal write this battle. We have to find him fast!
“What’s the update with the team?” I ask, and he understands.
“They’re still trying to track Bella or her father.”
My teeth grind against each other, and with a savage swipe of my hand, I slam everything on my table to the ground. Papers are strewn on the floor along with the pieces of evidence.
I rub the side of my head, attempting to soothe the headache pounding in my temples, when a loud sound crashes through the air. The earth beneath my feet trembles, the windows and lights swaying as if there’s an earthquake.
Matteo’s head snaps to mine. “Boss…”
I clench my teeth as he goes to the window, but even before he says anything, I already know .
“They’re here.”
I walk over to the windows and hold my breath when I see it. The entrance to the estate is in flames, and some of my men are scattered around the fire… dead. Trucks, convoys and heavy vehicles blaze in the distance.
I fist my palms tightly. They’ve come for my empire…and I won’t sit around and watch it burn.
“We fight.”
That’s all Matteo needs as he takes his Glock from his waistband, heading out. I faintly hear him barking orders at the men, and before long, the men storm out in troops.
Chaos unfolds.
Grabbing my gun, I waste no time in walking out the door. Just as I step out, a man cocks a gun at my head, but I quickly duck, rising to slam him against the wall before snapping his neck. Another one opens fire at a distance relentlessly. Fuck. They’ve breached the mansion so fast.
I burst back into the office, pressing myself against the wall, my fingers tightening around my gun. As expected, the idiot bursts inside, aiming his gun, but I quickly shoot him in his shoulder. His gun clatters to the ground, eyes wide as I send a bullet between his eyes.
Two more men file in. I grit, catching the first one’s wrist and twisting until I hear a crack. The second opens fire as I hide behind the body of the first, using him as a shield from the bullets.
The man goes heavy above me, my muscles straining as I shove him toward the other man. He falls on the threshold, and I don’t let him stand before slamming the door against him. His neck cracks with a satisfying sound.
As I move out of the office and navigate to the ground floor, all I see is red. If the fucking Saudis want war, I’ll give them war.
Crouching behind the balustrade, I spot Matteo fighting for his life. He’s flanked by three men, two of whom are holding guns and the other is holding a curved blade.
I catch sight of one man raising his gun and quickly shoot; the other immediately turns to me and returns the favor. He barely misses my arm before Matteo sends a bullet to his back.
The steps creak as I descend furiously, shooting any bastard that dares to interrupt me.
“Capo.” Matteo grunts, breathing hard, and that’s when I notice blood seeping from his stomach. Shit. He’s been shot. I slide my gaze to his shoulder, where he’d been shot before. He better survive, I need him by my side.
“It’s just a graze,” he rumbles as if reading thoughts.
I nod. “We have to find the general.” I could either try to speak sense into him or kill him.
“Haven’t seen him since the attack started. But I’m positive he isn’t in the mansion yet.”
He must be outside then. Instantly, I head out, and Matteo follows closely behind. My men are still fighting, holding their own fiercely.
Matteo bellows and curses as we carve a path through the enemy, bodies crumpling as gunshot sounds crackle through the air.
“I’m going to find the general,” I bark at Matteo, who nods and diverts to the opposite side of the estate. I take the left side, hiding behind cars and dodging bullets until I see a group of men clustered at the edge of the garden.
Only the general would have such men protecting him. Slowly, I approach the garden, feet as light as they can be. There’s a conversation going on in Arabic after which some of the men disperse, leaving the general with a few men.
I could easily kill the general from here. All it takes is one clean shot and he’d crumple to the ground, but instead, I aim at the guard closest to him…to send a message.
Before I can fire, I sense a presence behind me and quickly bring out a knife from my boot, swinging my hand in a brutal stab that hits his stomach. The man misfires as he falls to the ground dead, but when I turn back, my position is already compromised.
The military men have flanked the general in a tight circle, and they open fire. The bullets project toward me just as I roll under a black SUV, gunshots echoing in my ear. When I roll out, it’s to grab a rifle from the body of a dead man.
The recoil jolts in my arms as I switch to automatic fire, raining my own rounds and watching the bodies drop to the ground.
I fire until the only person standing is the general, then I drop the gun and move toward him, hands raised in the air. As much as I want to kill him, I need him to know the truth.
“I didn’t think the almighty Dominic Moretti would be so threatened that he would kill my son,” he says with a thick accent. He’s tall and well-built with an Arab scarf on his head.
His white robe is darkened by blood and dust as cold, calculating eyes stare back at me. But beneath that, I see pain…the pain of losing a child.
“I didn’t kill your son, Malik,” I breathe, my hands still above me, steady but cautious.
“Don’t you fucking lie to me,” he points his gun at my head. “Your gun was at the crime scene, you ordered the assassination, and even your own fucking man confessed to it.”
“I didn’t—”
He clicks his gun and fires, but I’m faster. I elbow his hands, seizing the gun from him as I shove him to the ground forcefully.
“You think I’d kill your son to sabotage a deal?”
“Yes,” he spits. He doesn’t believe a single word I utter.
My eyes narrow at him. “I was framed by Dean Rossi. Those pieces of evidence…they were planted by him. There are better ways to take you out of the market than killing your son,” I breathe. “I’m a man of honor, Malik. Trust me, I never gave that order.”
Then I point the gun at his head. “Now I like violence and bloodshed, Malik…but I only like it under the right circumstances. Tell your men to stand down.”
I can see the wheels turning in his head as his fists clench and unclench. He doesn’t say anything, but there’s a battle in his eyes.
“I understand how you feel. I will find Dean, and I promise, you will get justice for your son, but you have the wrong man.” I’m impatient, as I say again, “Either that or I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”
His eyes slide to something behind me, and I quickly turn around, but I’m not fast enough.
One of his men stabs my shoulder with a knife and headbutts me.
I stagger to the ground, the gun clattering from my hand as pain explodes through my shoulder.
In a moment, the general is standing above me, aiming a gun at my chest.
“You are without a child, so you do not understand how I feel.” His eyes water, but his voice grows hard. “He was my only son.”
Fuck. I should have killed him when I had the chance. He levels the gun at my head and cocks it. The silence that follows is tense. I release a sharp breath.
Suddenly, a frail voice cuts through the air. “Stop!”
My eyes widen when I see Bella running with a bloodied Matteo beside her.
“Mr. Malik,” she pants as if she just ran a marathon. “Dominic is telling the truth. He didn’t kill your son.”
The general’s head snaps to her. “What is this nonsense? Who are you?”
“I have proof that Dean Rossi did it.” She holds up a bracelet…the same one I accused her of spying with. “Please just drop your weapon and let me show you.”
The general hesitates for a moment before growling. “If this turns out to be a fake, I’ll kill you both.”
Matteo helps me up, and under the general’s wary gaze, we move to my office with Bella by my side, but not saying a word. Matteo arranges for the tech team and they start working on the bracelet.
The tension is tight as they remove the circuit board and microscopic chip. A few taps on the laptop and some technical jargon follow before an audio starts playing:
“At least you were finally useful for something.”
I instantly recognize the voice as Dean’s. My eyes slide to Bella and that’s when I notice the dried blood on the side of her head. My chest tightens. She’s hurt…because I foolishly sent her away.
“The Saudi military will attack anytime soon. Your little husband will take the fall on my behalf…and just as a bonus, maybe I could step in and take over what remains of his mafia.”
That fucking bastard.
“You’re looking at the new king.” He laughs.
“No, you’re not a king. You’re a fucking coward. A gambler who bets with other people’s lives when you don’t have the courage to pay your own debts.”
Pride blooms in my chest as the conversation progresses. My wife was giving that bastard a piece of her mind, and fuck did I enjoy every bit of it.
The recording comes to an end, and silence swallows the room. All eyes are on the general who looks confused, but mine are on Bella. She didn’t have to, but she came back…for me.
“What the fuck is going on!” The general rages and closes the distance between us, leveling the barrel of the gun under my chin. “How do I know this is not another piece of fabricated evidence?”
My breath hardens, but before I talk, Bella beats me to it.
“It’s not, Mr.…General Malik. That bastard, my own father, kidnapped my sister and locked her in some psychiatric ward for months.
” Her voice hardens as she talks. “He kidnapped me, too, and I only just escaped. Trust me, I wouldn’t put my own life at risk, run into battle like a crazed person just to lie to a man like you. ”
The room is silent except for the general’s hard breathing. He looks lost…like he doesn’t even know who Dean Rossi is.
“I’ve come this far in battle, Malik,” I say firmly, locking eyes with him. “I had the chance to kill you, but I didn’t. A guilty man wouldn’t do that.”
Tension rises in the room, and I become increasingly aware of the sound of gunshots below. The battle is still on.
Suddenly, someone coughs and drops to his knees. I look over to see Marcus with an angry Matteo fisting his hair. “Confess,” is all Matteo says. He must’ve gone to fetch him.
“I—the video was fake. I was coerced into doing it by…by Dean Rossi.”
The general’s expression hardens as he glances between Bella, Matteo, and me. He cocks his gun against my throat, Matteo cocks his at the general, and one of the General’s men mimics the same to Matteo.
Bella gasps, a sharp sound that forces all of the men’s attention to her, including mine. She shakes her head, releasing a sigh before training her gaze on the general.
“I know you’re angry and want revenge.” Her voice is cool, but I notice the edge of desperation in it.
“And maybe pinning it on just anyone is easier right now. But when all of this is done, what’ll hit you worse is knowing that the real culprit behind your son’s death is still out there living freely.
So please, make the right choice now. Get true justice for your son. ”
The General grits and finally eases his gun away from my neck as he turns to the man beside him. “Tell our men to stand down. Moretti isn’t the one.”
Then he turns back to me. “I’m afraid it’s not over yet. Somewhere mid-battle, a team planted three bombs in three of your major warehouses. With a deliberately sabotaged initiator, they’re un-detonatable…”
My fist clenches. Fucking bastard made sure we wouldn’t be able to detonate them in time, even if we found a specialist.
“Find me whoever this bastard is that killed my son, or I’ll dismantle your whole empire, piece by piece, until there is nothing left. You have forty-eight hours.”