Fatally Yours

Chapter 73

•DOMINIK•

The snowfall outside was thick, a steady cascade of white dusting the city in winter's quiet embrace. The streets were empty save for the occasional flicker of headlights passing by, but none stopped long enough to disturb the solitude.

I watched it all from the backseat, tapping my phone screen to check the time. The clock mocked me with its slow crawl.

I'm late.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I glanced down at my phone wallpaper. Indiana's face stared back at me, radiant and full of life. It was a candid picture I'd taken of her months ago, her expression caught mid-laugh.

It was the kind of laugh that could make even the most hardened man soften. God, I missed her. Six months away on business in Italy felt like six years. I had been counting the hours until I could hold her again.

The car jerked suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts. I gripped the seat as the vehicle skidded to a halt.

"What the hell?" Ivan muttered from the passenger seat, already reaching for his gun.

Bright headlights blinded me as I squinted toward the windshield. Through the glare, I made out multiple black vehicles parked ahead, engines rumbling in the quiet night.

Dark silhouettes of men loomed just behind the light, their figures casting long, ominous shadows on the snow. A grim realization settled over me.

An ambush.

I had been expecting this, eventually. My rivals had been quiet for too long while I was away. They were restless, their patience thin, and now, it seemed, they had seized their opportunity.

They'd planned this for weeks, maybe months. And of course, they'd waited until I was close to home.

"Stay in the car," I said calmly, my voice steady despite the tension building in my chest.

"Ivan?"

"Yes, boss."

"Call my wife. Tell her I'll be late for dinner."

His head snapped toward me, alarm clear in his eyes.

"But Sir—"

"Do it," I interrupted, my tone leaving no room for argument. "Now."

Ivan hesitated but nodded, pulling out his phone. I pushed open the car door, stepping into the cold night air as snowflakes landed lightly on my shoulders. The chill bit at my skin, but I barely noticed.

As I straightened my coat, I took in the scene before me: at least a dozen men stood waiting, armed and ready, their gazes locked on me as I emerged. The tension in the air was suffocating, but I felt no fear.

My confidence grew with each step I took toward them. Outnumbered, yes. But I wasn't afraid to face them.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.

These men wanted to keep me from my home, from my wife, from the life I had built. But they didn't understand one simple truth: there was nothing on this earth I wouldn't do to make it back to my wife.

A faint smile tugged at my lips as I stopped in the snow, standing tall against the shadows that loomed ahead.

"Let's get this over with," I murmured to myself. Indiana was waiting for me at home, and I wasn't about to let anyone stand in my way.

•INDIANA•

The cramps had been dull at first, a faint tightening in my abdomen that I had brushed off as nothing. But now, hours later, they were sharper, more persistent, twisting my insides until I was clutching the edge of the nightstand for support.