Chapter 8 - The Exchange
I refused to stay behind while my daughter's life was on the line.
Dominic argued, but he saw the absolute desperation in my eyes and finally relented.
He handed me a small, compact pistol.
"Keep the safety on until you are ready to kill someone," he instructed softly.
I took the heavy weapon, my hands surprisingly steady.
We drove to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of the city.
The area was a labyrinth of rusted train cars and overgrown weeds.
Dominic parked the SUV and we stepped out into the freezing wind.
He carried a large black duffel bag stuffed with cut newspaper to look like cash.
"Mark!" Dominic shouted, his voice echoing off the metal trains.
"I have the money!"
A massive floodlight suddenly clicked on, blinding us.
Mark stepped out onto the rusted catwalk of an old cargo train.
He was holding a terrified, crying Lily by the collar of her jacket.
"Mommy!" Lily screamed, reaching her little hands out toward me.
"Let her go, Mark," I yelled, raising my gun exactly as Dominic had shown me.
Mark laughed, pressing a pistol to Lily's small head.
"Toss the bag on the ground and step back," Mark ordered nervously.
Dominic threw the heavy duffel bag onto the dirt.
"You are a dead man, Mark," Dominic promised.
"Actually, boss, I think you are the dead man."
The voice did not come from Mark.
It came from the shadows directly behind us.
I spun around in horror.
Silas, Dominic's most trusted lieutenant, stepped into the light.
He was holding a shotgun aimed directly at Dominic's back.
"You sold me out?" Dominic asked, his voice laced with absolute betrayal.
"You got soft, Dominic," Silas sneered.
"You started caring more about a waitress than the business, so I made a deal with Reynolds and Mark to take over the family."
May you like
Silas racked the shotgun.
"Say goodbye, boss."
