Chapter 10 - The Last Click
Dominic threw himself backward just as the deafening roar of the shotgun blast echoed out of the narrow tunnel.
Buckshot shredded the ceiling where his head had been a fraction of a second before, raining concrete dust down on him.
Without hesitation, Dominic rolled onto his good knee and fired three rapid shots blindly into the dark drainage pipe.
A heavy thud and a gurgling groan echoed from the tunnel, followed by the clatter of a dropped weapon.
He kept his pistol raised and slowly crawled forward, shining his flashlight into the dark, damp space.
The mercenary who had been waiting to ambush them was lying dead, his chest completely ruined by Dominic's return fire.
Dominic quickly cleared the rest of the tunnel, finding it completely empty and leading safely out to the rocky shoreline.
He returned to the bunker, helping Clare carry the heavily injured Vincent down into the cool, dark escape route.
They slowly navigated the slippery, moss-covered pipe, the sound of crashing waves growing louder with every difficult step.
They finally emerged into the cool night air, the massive, burning wreckage of the estate lighting up the dark sky behind them.
A heavily armed police boat was already approaching the rocky shore, its blue and red lights flashing brightly in the darkness.
The SWAT team quickly secured the perimeter, helping the exhausted survivors aboard the safe, heavily armored vessel.
Vincent was immediately rushed to a waiting ambulance on the mainland, where skilled surgeons successfully saved his life.
Dominic sat on the deck of the boat, the cold wind whipping his face as he watched his former empire burn to the ground.
He felt no sadness for the lost property, only a profound sense of relief that the traitors had been purged completely.
He turned to Clare and Ellie, fulfilling his promise by offering them absolute safety and permanent financial security.
Within a week, Dominic's loyal forces eradicated the remnants of the rival cartel, cementing his absolute rule over the city.
He relocated his operations to a secure, beautiful private island, bringing his most trusted people with him.
The nightmare was finally over, and they were all sitting safely on a pristine, sun-drenched beach far away from Chicago.
Ellie was sitting happily on a colorful beach towel, playing quietly with a shiny silver pocket watch she had found.
She had picked it up from the debris of the mansion on that terrible night, fascinated by its intricate ticking mechanism.
She pressed a tiny, hidden release button on the side of the watch, completely ignoring her mother calling her for lunch.
The metal back of the watch popped open with a soft click, revealing a hidden micro-SD card and a worn photograph.
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It was a picture of Clare, dressed not as a maid, but in the elite tactical uniform of the rival cartel Dominic had just destroyed.
She was smiling coldly in the photo, holding a high-powered sniper rifle while standing over a pile of dead bodies.
