Chapter 9 - Out of the Ashes
Ten minutes later, the mansion was completely silent once more. The bodies were removed through the underground garage by my cleanup crew, the marble floors swept, and the smoke cleared by the ventilation system.
I walked down the quiet corridor toward the ground floor guest suite, wiping a smear of blood from my knuckles with a white handkerchief.
I knocked three times on the hidden bookshelf panel in a specific rhythm.
“Clara. It’s over. You can open the door.”
A second later, the heavy steel door clicked open.
Clara stepped out into the room. The moment her eyes landed on me, she didn’t look at my blood-stained cuffs, nor did she look at the gun holstered at my hip. She saw only me—whole, safe, and standing before her.
She let out a shaky sob, threw her arms around my neck, and buried her face into the crook of my shoulder.
I froze for a fraction of a second, unused to such pure, uninhibited affection, before wrapping my arms tightly around her waist, lifting her slightly off her feet, and pulling her close against my chest.
“I was so scared,” she whispered against my neck, her tears wetting my shirt. “I thought I lost you.”
“You will never lose me, Clara,” I murmured, resting my chin on top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of lavender in her hair. “I promised you. No one will ever hurt you or your mother again.”
From inside the room, Elena wheeled herself toward the doorway, looking out at us with a soft, knowing smile.
I looked over Clara’s shoulder at the woman who had crawled through fire and glass fifteen years ago to save a dying stranger.
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“The men who caused your crash are gone, Elena,” I said, my voice heavy with emotion. “The debt is settled. You and Clara are safe. This house... this family... is yours for as long as you live.”
Elena wiped a tear from her cheek, nodding slowly. “Thank you, Dominic. You didn’t just survive that night... you grew into the man I hoped you would become.”
