Before I can fire, I sense a presence behind me and quickly bring out a knife from my boot, swinging my hand in a brutal stab that hits his stomach. The man misfires as he falls to the ground dead, but when I turn back, my position is already compromised.
The military men have flanked the general in a tight circle, and they open fire. The bullets project toward me just as I roll under a black SUV, gunshots echoing in my ear. When I roll out, it’s to grab a rifle from the body of a dead man.
The recoil jolts in my arms as I switch to automatic fire, raining my own rounds and watching the bodies drop to the ground.
I fire until the only person standing is the general, then I drop the gun and move toward him, hands raised in the air. As much as I want to kill him, I need him to know the truth.
“I didn’t think the almighty Dominic Moretti would be so threatened that he would kill my son,” he says with a thick accent. He’s tall and well-built with an Arab scarf on his head.
His white robe is darkened by blood and dust as cold, calculating eyes stare back at me. But beneath that, I see pain…the pain of losing a child.
“I didn’t kill your son, Malik,” I breathe, my hands still above me, steady but cautious.
“Don’t you fucking lie to me,” he points his gun at my head. “Your gun was at the crime scene, you ordered the assassination, and even your own fucking man confessed to it.”
“I didn’t—”
He clicks his gun and fires, but I’m faster. I elbow his hands, seizing the gun from him as I shove him to the ground forcefully.
“You think I’d kill your son to sabotage a deal?”
“Yes,” he spits. He doesn’t believe a single word I utter.
My eyes narrow at him. “I was framed by Dean Rossi. Those pieces of evidence…they were planted by him. There are better ways to take you out of the market than killing your son,” I breathe. “I’m a man of honor, Malik. Trust me, I never gave that order.”
Then I point the gun at his head. “Now I like violence and bloodshed, Malik…but I only like it under the right circumstances. Tell your men to stand down.”
I can see the wheels turning in his head as his fists clench and unclench. He doesn’t say anything, but there’s a battle in his eyes.
“I understand how you feel. I will find Dean, and I promise, you will get justice for your son, but you have the wrong man.” I’m impatient, as I say again, “Either that or I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”
His eyes slide to something behind me, and I quickly turn around, but I’m not fast enough. One of his men stabs my shoulder with a knife and headbutts me. I stagger to the ground, the gun clattering from my hand as pain explodes through my shoulder. In a moment, the general is standing above me, aiming a gun at my chest.
“You are without a child, so you do not understand how I feel.” His eyes water, but his voice grows hard. “He was my only son.”
Fuck. I should have killed him when I had the chance. He levels the gun at my head and cocks it. The silence that follows is tense. I release a sharp breath.
Suddenly, a frail voice cuts through the air. “Stop!”
My eyes widen when I see Bella running with a bloodied Matteo beside her.
“Mr. Malik,” she pants as if she just ran a marathon. “Dominic is telling the truth. He didn’t kill your son.”
The general’s head snaps to her. “What is this nonsense? Who areyou?”
“I have proof that Dean Rossi did it.” She holds up a bracelet…the same one I accused her of spying with. “Please just drop your weapon and let me show you.”
The general hesitates for a moment before growling. “If this turns out to be a fake, I’ll kill you both.”
Matteo helps me up, and under the general’s wary gaze, we move to my office with Bella by my side, but not saying a word. Matteo arranges for the tech team and they start working on the bracelet.
The tension is tight as they remove the circuit board and microscopic chip. A few taps on the laptop and some technical jargon follow before an audio starts playing:
“At least you were finally useful for something.”
I instantly recognize the voice as Dean’s. My eyes slide to Bella and that’s when I notice the dried blood on the side of her head. My chest tightens. She’s hurt…because I foolishly sent her away.
“The Saudi military will attack anytime soon. Your little husband will take the fall on my behalf…and just as a bonus, maybe I could step in and take over what remains of his mafia.”
