Chapter 5 - The Poisoned Bloodline
Dominic did not hesitate for a single second as the fake police officers raised their rifles.
He fired his weapon directly at the blinding spotlight, shattering the glass and plunging the woods back into darkness.
He dove into the driver’s seat, slamming the heavy door and cranking the engine in one fluid motion.
The unmarked sedan roared to life, its tires spinning wildly in the thick mud before catching traction.
A hail of bullets slammed into the reinforced, bulletproof chassis of the car as they sped away.
Hannah screamed, instinctively throwing her body over the center console to shield the children in the back.
Dominic drove the car blindly through the dense forest, crashing through small trees and heavy brush.
They finally hit the paved rural highway, leaving the treacherous assassins far behind in the muddy woods.
Hannah sat up slowly, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
She looked back at the triplets, who were miraculously unharmed and staring blankly at the passing trees.
She asked Dominic how a rival mafia family could afford to hire an entire squad of corrupt police officers.
Dominic gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned completely white.
He explained that the Moretti patriarch, Vincent, had unlimited resources and owned half the city’s politicians.
Vincent’s only son and heir was currently dying from a rapidly progressive genetic blood disease.
Hannah’s breath hitched as a terrifying realization began to form in her mind.
During her father’s cancer treatments, the doctors had discovered that she had an incredibly rare blood mutation.
Her blood lacked a specific antigen, making it practically a universal cure for certain genetic disorders.
She whispered this information to Dominic, her voice trembling with absolute terror.
Dominic slammed his fist against the steering wheel, finally connecting all the twisted pieces of the puzzle.
The charity clinic had not just stolen her eggs to sell to wealthy, infertile couples.
They had kept her DNA profile on file and sold the medical information directly to the highest bidder.
Vincent Moretti did not want to kill her.
He wanted to lock her in a sterile laboratory and harvest her bone marrow to save his dying son.
And because the triplets shared her exact genetic makeup, they were also prime targets for the harvest.
Dominic swore quietly, vowing to burn the entire city to the ground before letting them touch his family.
He drove them to a dilapidated, abandoned warehouse on the edge of the Brooklyn docks.
It was a cold, miserable safe house, but it was completely off the grid and untraceable.
As Dominic locked the heavy metal doors behind them, Hannah’s cell phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.
She pulled it out, completely shocked that she still had a signal in this remote location.
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She looked at the screen and felt a sickening wave of absolute dread wash over her.
The caller ID displayed the name of Peter, her nervous manager from the Italian restaurant.
