Part 6
Meline looked at Dominic's extended hand.
The hand that had held her gently during quiet nights in New York.
The same hand that had signed execution orders for men who crossed him.
She didn't take it.
Instead, she pressed her back harder against the cold stone, her body shaking from a combination of hypothermia and pure adrenaline.
“No,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
Dominic’s hand didn't drop. It remained perfectly still in the air between them, unaffected by the wind.
“Meline,” he said, his voice dropping an octave, warning her without shouting. “Look around you. My cousin’s men are dead on the beach. He knows where you are. The grid is compromised. You are not safe here.”
“I wasn't safe with you either!” she cried out, the frustration and fear of the last six months finally breaking through her resolve.
“You think I don't know what happens to people who get too close to you? You think I wanted this life for a child? Your life is a war zone, Dominic!”
Dominic’s eyes darkened, the pupils dilating until his eyes looked almost entirely black.
Slowly, he lowered his hand.
He stepped closer, closing the distance between them until he was towering over her, cutting off the wind, cutting off the rain, becoming her entire world in an instant.
He knelt down on one knee in the wet sand, bringing himself to her eye level.
The smell of his expensive cologne mixed with the scent of salt water and copper hit her senses.
“You think I don't know that?” he asked, his voice dangerously low, vibrating with a suppressed emotion that shocked her.
“You think I wanted this for them? For you?”
He reached out, his long fingers gently catching her chin, forcing her to look straight into his burning gaze. His thumb was warm against her freezing skin.
“But you made a mistake, Meline,” he whispered, his face inches from hers.
“You thought you could protect them by running away from me.”
“You forgot that the only reason you were safe in the first place… was because I was standing between you and the rest of the world.”
He let go of her chin, his hand moving down to touch her arm, his grip firm but careful, completely mindful of her fragile state.
“Marcus is still alive. He’s waiting at the local airfield, expecting his men to bring you to him.”
Dominic stood up, pulling her up with him in one fluid, effortless motion.
Meline’s legs buckled from exhaustion, but he caught her against his chest, his strong arms wrapping around her waist, holding her securely against his solid frame.
The warmth of his body radiated through her wet clothes, a stark contrast to the freezing night.
“Silas,” Dominic spoke into his earpiece without looking away from her face.
“Boss?” Silas's voice responded instantly.
“Secure her bag from the cottage. Bring the medical transport team to the main road.”
“And Marcus?” Silas asked.
Dominic’s expression became utterly devoid of humanity.
“Tell him I’m coming to deliver his package personally.”
Meline tried to pull back, her hands pressing against his broad chest. “Dominic, please… don't do this. Let me go.”
Dominic looked down at her, his grip tightening just enough to let her know resistance was entirely useless.
“Never again, Meline,” he whispered against her hair.
May you like
“From this moment on, you and my child don't leave my sight. Not for a single second.”
He lifted her into his arms, carrying her up the beach toward the waiting vehicles, leaving the shadows and the bodies behind them in the dark.
