Gemma’s POV
The day had started like a beautiful dream. Don Caleb had given the afternoon off from my duties at his legitimate front, knowing I had plans with Dominic. We spent those precious hours shopping for our fortified safe house, laughing and debating over security equipnt and furnishings for our heavily guarded ho. But the mont Dominic’s armored vehicle dropped at my apartnt building in the dangerous territory, my perfect day shattered like glass under a sledgehamr.
The building’s security guard, one of Dominic’s n stationed there, greeted with a respectful nod and handed over my mail. Among the usual bills and advertisents lay an envelope that made my blood turn to ice in my veins. That handwriting. I recognized it imdiately.
The street rat had found again. But how was that even possible with all of Dominic’s surveillance networks?
I stumbled into my apartnt, the envelope clutched in my trembling fingers like a live grenade. I couldn’t bring myself to open it. Instead, I collapsed onto my couch, staring at it as if it might explode. Tears stread down my face without my awareness, the terror building inside like a gathering hurricane.
When the doorbell rang, I nearly jumped through the ceiling. Peering through the reinforced peephole, I saw Dominic’s familiar face. Relief washed over as I disard the multiple locks and threw myself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably against his bulletproof vest.
"Gemma! What happened? Talk to !" His voice carried that dangerous edge that made enemies flee, but his arms were protective steel around .
Words failed completely. All I could do was thrust the envelope into his hands with shaking fingers.
Dominic guided to the couch, pulling onto his lap as he opened it with the careful precision of a man accustod to handling explosive devices. Though he read silently, I felt every muscle in his powerful body turn to granite beneath .
"We’re getting out of this death trap, Gemma," he said, his voice carrying the deadly calm that preceded bloodshed as he stood, setting on my feet. "Let’s go to the compound."
"Dominic..." I struggled to compose myself. "I need my things."
"When did this piece of garbage arrive?" His jaw was clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
"Just now. Your man downstairs gave it to when I ca in."
"Why didn’t you call imdiately?" There was no accusation in his tone, only the protective fury of a predator whose mate was threatened.
"I froze up. I’m terrified, Dominic." I swallowed hard. "What does that animal say?"
"You don’t need to read this poison."
"Yes, I do. I need to know what I’m facing from this street scum."
Dominic reluctantly handed the envelope. That familiar scrawled handwriting on the outside, the post office box I’d hoped never to see again. With trembling fingers, I unfolded the paper:
"Do you really think you can run away from , little Gemma? You can’t hide behind your Mafia boyfriend forever! I already know you’ve moved addresses and changed jobs, but I also know where you live now and where you’re working. My connections tell I’ll be out soon. Wait for , kitten, because when I get out, the first thing I’m going to do is make up for lost ti with that sweet little body of yours. Your boyfriend’s money can’t protect you from everyone. Nick."
Terror paralyzed . Nick was truly a rabid animal, and sohow, he was still controlling my life from behind bars through his network of street criminals. Would I ever escape this nightmare?
"Gemma!" Dominic’s voice cut through my panic like a blade. "Let’s grab what you need and leave. Tomorrow, make a list of everything else, and I’ll send my crew to collect it. You’re never coming back to this exposed position."
"But Dominic, it’s my apartnt. I can’t just abandon it." Even as I said it, I knew it was foolish thinking in our world.
"Gemma, listen to . We’ll do this my way. This weekend, we bring your mother into the family’s protection. She needs to know what we’re dealing with, and you two can decide what to do with this place. But I won’t let you take unnecessary risks with street vermin hunting you."
I nodded weakly. "You’re right. Will you help pack so things?"
"Of course, nightingale." He embraced tightly before leading to the bedroom with the efficiency of a military operation.
I threw open a reinforced suitcase and filled it with clothes and essentials, just enough to last until Dominic could arrange for his soldiers to move the rest. We left quickly for our compound—our fortress. Even in my distress, that thought brought comfort. This place where we were building our empire together felt increasingly like an impenetrable ho.
After a scalding shower and changing into clean clothes, I felt sowhat restored. The security of our heavily ard sanctuary enveloped like an armored shield.
"Feeling better?" Dominic asked, his calloused hands tenderly framing my face.
"Yes. I feel protected here. I feel safe with you and your family’s power."
His answering smile held the warmth of a man deeply in love and the cold promise of death to any who threatened what was his.
"You are safe. Do you want to stay in tonight? I can tell Don Caleb we’re not coming to the family dinner."
"No, I want to go. Being with the inner circle will help. And we need to show this threat to Daniel."
"Leave that to . Shall we?"
I took his hand, drawing strength from his lethal touch as we headed to dinner with our cri family.
After the al at the private dining room of Caleb’s restaurant front, Dominic decided to address the letter situation with everyone present. We were among the most trusted mbers of the organization, and they would find out eventually. Still, I hated darkening the mood and involving others in my problems—especially Lila, who had defended against Nick multiple tis when we worked in the dangerous shopping district under family protection.
Dominic passed the letter to Daniel, the corrupt detective whose expression hardened like concrete as he read.
"Another threat from this cockroach," he growled. "And now he knows your new safe house location. We need to find who’s feeding him information. We’ve pressured his entire crew, but they seem genuinely clueless about his intelligence sources. Only his mother visits him in prison occasionally."
"Yes," I confird. "Nick never had good relationships with his father or brothers in their petty cri ring. And his mother would never be involved in this."
"Well, regardless," Dominic announced with the finality of a death sentence, "Gemma is moving permanently to the family compound. We’ll decide with her mother what to do with the apartnt."
"Smart move," Daniel nodded approvingly. "The compound has military-grade security, caras covering every angle. But..."
"There’s always a complication," Lila muttered darkly.
"But Roman managed to breach the periter once. We can’t forget that professional hit," Daniel pointed out, looking aningfully at Lila.
"Roman probably had inside connections and used those sohow," Xavier suggested, referring to the rival family’s assassin.
"Yes, but we never identified exactly how he penetrated our defenses," Daniel added grimly.
"I’ll triple the security detail," Dominic stated with absolute authority.
"How long will I have to live like I’m in witness protection?" Tears welled in my eyes again as Zoe wrapped a comforting arm around with surprising gentleness for the family’s ruthless information broker.
"It’s going to be handled, Gemma," Nora squeezed my hand reassuringly.
"Company security has already been enhanced since the Roman assassination attempt," Don Caleb explained with the calm authority of a man who controlled life and death. "But I’ll assign a bodyguard to accompany you inside and outside the building, Gemma. Sa protection level for you, Lila."
"I’ll handle everything beyond the legitimate business, Caleb," Dominic interjected. "I just need your security inside the building. I’ll station two ard n at the building entrance to escort her everywhere, plus an armored vehicle with a trained driver at her disposal."
"Perfect. I’ll designate a secured parking space for your driver so Gemma won’t need to exit the building in the open to reach the car," Caleb replied.
It struck that no one had bothered asking for my opinion on any of these arrangents.
"Does this an I can’t leave the compound? Am I becoming a prisoner of my own protection now?" I protested.
"Gemma, it’s not imprisonnt," Dominic said gently, though his eyes held the steel of absolute determination. "When you leave, you’ll have ard protection with you. I won’t risk anyone hurting you—and I don’t just an Nick and his street crew. Please, give this peace of mind."
"Fine," I conceded with a frustrated sigh. "Do whatever you think is necessary."
I glanced at Lila, who nodded absently, seemingly lost in her own dark thoughts about the dangerous world we’d all been drawn into, far away from our conversation.
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