Chapter 11: The Pawn in the Game

The interior of the warehouse smelled violently of rust, salt water, and freshly spilled blood.

The lighting was incredibly dim, provided only by a few flickering sodium bulbs hanging precariously from the high steel rafters. Massive wooden shipping crates created a labyrinth of deep, terrifying shadows.

Khloe pressed her back completely flat against a damp, wooden crate, trying desperately to quiet her ragged breathing.

“You really are a romantic, Kwon,” a voice echoed through the massive cavern. It wasn’t Dominic. It was a raspy, heavily accented voice dripping with dark amusement.

Khloe slowly edged around the corner of the crate, peering into the center clearing.

Underneath a harsh, swinging spotlight, a man was violently tied to a steel folding chair. His face was a bloody, unrecognizable mess, but he was grinning widely, revealing crimson-stained teeth.

Dominic stood directly in front of him. He was completely dry, completely immaculate, and completely terrifying. His gun was pressed directly against the center of the tied man’s forehead.

“Who gave the order to track my wife?” Dominic asked. His voice was not a yell; it was a soft, conversational whisper that somehow echoed off the steel walls.

“We all did,” the bloody man laughed, spitting a thick wad of red saliva onto Dominic’s expensive leather shoes. “She’s soft, Kwon. We watched her physically cry over a fucking handbag. We watched her shrink.”

Dominic’s hand didn’t shake, but Khloe saw the heavy muscles in his broad back tense to the point of tearing.

“You’re weak because of her,” the rival taunted, leaning his head aggressively into the barrel of Dominic’s gun. “You used to be a ghost. Now you’re just a glorified bodyguard for a woman who doesn’t even belong in our world.”

“You have five seconds to give me a name,” Dominic whispered, pulling the hammer of the gun back with a sickening click. “Before I paint this concrete with your memories.”

“Do it,” the man dared him, laughing hysterically. “Kill me. It doesn’t matter. The distraction already worked.”

Khloe’s blood ran completely cold. The distraction.

She didn’t even think about the consequences. She stepped entirely out of the deep shadows, the heavy heels of her boots clicking sharply against the concrete floor.

“Dominic, stop!” she yelled, her voice slicing through the heavy, damp air.

Dominic’s head snapped toward her, his dark eyes widening in genuine, unadulterated shock for the very first time since she had known him. “Khloe? I told you to stay in the fucking car!”

“He’s stalling you!” Khloe yelled, walking directly into the circle of harsh light. She ignored the tied man completely, keeping her eyes locked solely on her husband. “He just said it was a distraction. Look at him, Dominic. He wants you to shoot him.”

The rival tied to the chair let out a low, menacing whistle. “Well, well. The little mall rat has some teeth after all.”

Dominic moved so fast it was a blur. He violently struck the man across the jaw with the heavy steel grip of his pistol. The sickening crunch of bone echoed loudly, and the man slumped sideways, groaning in agony.

Dominic closed the distance between him and Khloe in two massive strides. He grabbed her aggressively by the shoulders, shaking her once.

“What are you doing in here?” he demanded, absolute terror finally bleeding into his furious tone. “Are you insane?”

“I didn’t cry because I was weak,” Khloe said, staring directly into Dominic’s furious, panicked eyes. “I cried because I was exhausted. But I am not stupid. If tracking me was a distraction to get you here, then what is the actual target?”

Dominic froze entirely. His brilliant, violently calculated mind rapidly connected the invisible dots she had just laid out in front of him.

He slowly turned his head to look back at the bleeding man in the chair. The man was smiling again, blood pouring freely from his shattered jaw.

“Then you won’t mind what we left waiting for you inside your penthouse,” the rival wheezed, laughing through the blood. “I hope you have good fire insurance.”

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