Chapter 5 - The Safe Room
Evelyn's eyes burned with absolute, unadulterated hatred as she aimed the weapon at Mara.
Dominic stepped smoothly in front of Mara, completely shielding her body with his own.
"You have lost your mind, Evelyn," Dominic stated calmly, showing absolutely no fear.
Evelyn laughed, a harsh, jagged sound that echoed terribly in the quiet office.
"Volkov sends his regards, Dominic, and he is taking your territory tonight," Evelyn announced.
She revealed that dozens of heavily armed Russian mercenaries had just breached the estate walls.
The distant, terrifying sound of automatic gunfire suddenly erupted from the front lawn.
"Kill them both and burn the hard drives!" Evelyn screamed to the armed men rushing up the stairs behind her.
Dominic did not hesitate for a fraction of a second.
He grabbed Mara's hand and slammed his palm against a hidden button under his desk.
The massive bookcase behind them instantly violently swung open, revealing a dark, steel-lined tunnel.
Dominic shoved Mara into the darkness just as Evelyn unleashed a hail of bullets into the room.
Wood splintered and glass shattered as Dominic threw himself into the tunnel, hitting the emergency lock.
A ten-inch thick titanium door slammed shut, sealing them inside the impenetrable safe room.
Mara collapsed onto the cold metal floor, gasping for air as adrenaline ravaged her system.
Dominic activated the emergency lighting, bathing the small, claustrophobic bunker in a soft blue glow.
He grunted in pain, heavily leaning against the wall and clutching his left side.
Mara noticed a dark, spreading stain of blood soaking through his pristine white shirt.
"You are shot!" Mara cried, scrambling to her feet and rushing to his side.
"It is just a graze, I will survive," Dominic lied through gritted teeth.
Mara ignored his stubbornness and immediately ripped the hem of her uniform blouse.
She pressed the makeshift bandage firmly against his bleeding side, her hands trembling violently.
Dominic looked down at her, his breathing heavy, his dark eyes locked intensely on hers.
He reached up and gently wiped a smudge of dirt from her pale cheek.
"You are incredibly brave, Mara," he whispered, his voice thick with raw emotion.
The intense, electric tension between them finally snapped in the tiny, sealed room.
Dominic leaned down and kissed her with a desperate, consuming passion that left her completely breathless.
Mara kissed him back, completely surrendering to the dangerous, beautiful man she had fallen for.
The romantic moment was abruptly shattered by a loud, electronic beep from the safe room's control panel.
A live video feed flickered to life on the security monitor mounted on the wall.
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Volkov himself was standing in the ruined living room, holding a terrifyingly familiar woman at gunpoint.
It was Mara's mother.
