Chapter 1 - The Cold Truth
Dominic slowly turned his head to look at the man standing in the cellar doorway.
Nathan Cross wore a mask of perfect, brotherly concern.
He played the part of the shocked best friend flawlessly.
But Mia did not look shocked at all.
She pulled her shivering daughter tighter against the warm fabric of Dominic's coat.
Her cracked lips parted as she glared past Dominic and looked directly into Nathan’s eyes.
“You,” she whispered, her voice raw and broken.
Nathan shook his head slowly, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.
“Mia, you are confused from being down here in the dark,” Nathan said smoothly.
“He is lying,” Mia choked out, tears streaming down her bruised face.
“Claire brought me down here, but Nathan is the one who locked the door.”
Dominic felt a sudden, terrifying stillness settle over his entire body.
He looked at Marcus, his loyal senior guard, who instantly reached for his weapon.
But Nathan was already holding a suppressed pistol hidden behind his leg.
A quiet, deadly cough echoed through the stone cellar.
Marcus collapsed to the floor with a bullet hole perfectly centered in his chest.
Daniel tried to draw his gun, but Nathan fired twice more with ruthless precision.
Daniel fell backward into the wine racks, shattering thousand-dollar bottles into a pool of red glass and blood.
Dominic threw his body over Mia and Harper just as a bullet struck the stone wall above them.
“I am sorry, Dom,” Nathan said coldly from the top of the stairs.
“You just lived a little too long.”
Nathan slammed the heavy steel door shut, plunging the cellar into absolute darkness.
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The terrifying sound of a new, heavy deadbolt sliding into place echoed through the black room.
Then, Dominic smelled the sharp, unmistakable odor of gasoline pouring through the air vents.
