Chapter 10 - The False Victory
Leo's eyes widened in absolute shock as three heavily armed mercenaries suddenly turned their rifles entirely on him.
"Wait, Silas, I did everything you asked!" Leo screamed in pure terror.
"You have successfully served your purpose," Silas replied coldly.
Before the mercenaries could fire, Dominic squeezed the trigger of his assault rifle.
He didn't shoot Silas or the guards.
He shot the heavy iron chain supporting a massive shipping crate suspended directly above the platform.
The thick chain snapped with a deafening, metallic crack.
The five-ton crate plummeted downward, crashing completely through the metal platform.
The entire structure collapsed violently, sending Silas and his men plunging into the lower level amidst a massive cloud of twisted steel and concrete dust.
The hostages screamed hysterically and scrambled toward the open exit.
"Run!" Norah yelled, rushing forward and helping a bleeding woman to her feet.
Dominic moved like a lethal ghost through the falling debris, picking off the disoriented mercenaries one by one.
He found Leo trapped heavily under a steel beam, weeping in absolute terror.
Dominic kicked Leo's gun away and left him pinned for the police.
He hunted aggressively through the thick dust for his brother.
Silas suddenly emerged from the wreckage, firing wildly with his polished silver revolver.
A stray bullet sharply grazed Dominic's cheek, drawing a thin line of hot blood.
Dominic lunged forward immediately, tackling his brother brutally to the concrete floor.
They fought viciously, a desperate, ugly brawl between two highly trained men who knew exactly how the other moved.
Silas reached desperately for a piece of jagged metal, aiming straight for Dominic's throat.
Norah suddenly appeared from the smoke, holding the heavy pistol Dominic had given her earlier.
She pressed the cold barrel directly into Silas's shoulder and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Silas roared in sheer agony, immediately dropping the lethal metal shard.
Dominic instantly pinned his brother's arms behind his back, securing him completely.
The few remaining mercenaries threw down their weapons when they clearly saw their boss defeated.
Sirens wailed loudly in the near distance as the real police were finally arriving in force.
Dominic looked up at Norah, wiping a streak of blood from his bruised mouth.
"You saved my life," he panted heavily.
Norah dropped the gun, her hands shaking uncontrollably as the massive adrenaline rush finally faded.
"It's finally over," she whispered in profound relief.
They zip-tied Silas to a structural pillar and limped exhausted out of the warehouse.
They walked two quiet blocks in the freezing rain to the abandoned subway station to find Lily.
The teenager was sitting exactly where they had left her, appearing completely unharmed.
Lily ran forward quickly and threw her arms tightly around Norah, sobbing into her shoulder.
"You did it," Lily cried happily.
"We're finally safe."
Dominic found an untouched sedan down the street and hotwired it quickly to get them out of the rain.
They all climbed into the warm, dry car, happily leaving the nightmare of the docks entirely behind them.
Norah leaned her head against the cool window, finally letting herself believe they had won.
Silas was going to prison, her name was officially cleared, and the violent war was over.
Then Lily suddenly stopped crying in the back seat.
The teenager's face went completely blank, entirely devoid of any fear, relief, or innocence.
Lily reached calmly into her stained apron and pulled out a suppressed pistol.
She leaned forward smoothly and pressed the cold steel barrel directly against the back of Dominic's head.
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"My real name is Lily Mercer, Uncle Dominic," the teenager whispered chillingly into the silence of the car.
"And my father says he'll see you in hell."
