Chapter 5 - The Confession in the BasementThe basement of the Vale mansion was nothing like the luxurious rooms above. It was reinforced concrete, cold, damp, and lit by a single swinging industrial bulb that cast long, swaying shadows across the walls.
I stood near the heavy iron doorway, watching from a safe distance as Dominic interrogated Thomas.
Thomas was strapped securely to a heavy metal chair, his face bruised from where Dominic had pinned him earlier. Marcus stood quietly in the corner, arms crossed, watching like a sentinel.
Dominic paced back and forth in front of Thomas, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He hadn't said a word for five minutes, but the suffocating silence in the room was more terrifying than any beating.
“Boss... please,” Thomas whimpered, his voice cracking. “I told you everything I know! Arthur contacted me three days ago when he flew back into New York. He said you found something in the west wing. He told me to break in tonight and find it.”
Dominic stopped pacing. He turned slowly, his dark eyes locking onto Thomas. “Where is Arthur staying?”
“I... I don't know his exact address!” Thomas stammered. “He uses burner phones! He called me from a restricted number!”
Dominic stepped closer, leaning down until his face was inches from Thomas’s. “Try harder, Thomas. Because right now, your memory is the only thing keeping you breathing.”
“Wait!” Thomas cried out, thrashing against the straps. “There’s a meet! Arthur said if I retrieved the recorder, I was supposed to drop it off at an abandoned warehouse down by the Yonkers docks at 4:00 a.m. today!”
Dominic exchanged a sharp glance with Marcus.
“What time is it?” Dominic asked.
“3:15 a.m.,” Marcus replied, checking his tactical watch.
Dominic straightened up, his face carved from ice. He turned toward the door and noticed me standing by the threshold.
“What are you doing down here, Rachel?” he asked, his tone softening just a fraction.
“I couldn't sleep,” I said honestly, walking a few steps closer. “And... I wanted to make sure you didn't do something you’d regret.”
Dominic let out a grim, humorless smile. “You think I’m going to become a monster, Rachel?”
“I think you’re a man who lost his sister ten years ago and just found out the people who betrayed him have been walking around his estate the entire time,” I replied firmly. “That’s a dangerous combination.”
Dominic looked at me for a long moment, as if seeing me for the first time—not as a maid who sang into feather dusters, but as someone who understood the jagged edges of his soul.
He turned back to Marcus. “Get the tactical teams ready. Two SUVs, no sirens. We’re going to the Yonkers docks.”
“Boss,” Marcus hesitated, glancing at me. “What about Rachel?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “She stays here. Locked in my study. With armed guards outside the door.”
“No,” I said immediately.
Dominic frowned. “This isn’t a negotiation, Rachel.”
“I’m not negotiating,” I stepped right up to him, crossing my arms. “You think I’m going to sit in a room while you walk into an ambush with Arthur Pendelton? After everything we’ve uncovered? Absolutely not. I’m coming with you.”
“Out of the question.”
“Try and stop me,” I challenged, glaring right back into his dark eyes. “I can stay in the vehicle, I can man the radio, I can do whatever you need, but I am not staying behind in this mausoleum alone.”
Marcus cleared his throat loudly, trying to hide a smirk.
Dominic stared at me, his eyes flashing with frustration and something dangerously close to admiration. He ran a hand through his dark wavy hair, letting out a long, defeated sigh.
“Fine,” he muttered under his breath. “Sticking with me is the worst decision you’ve ever made.”
“Debatable,” I replied. “Working here was number one.”
May you like
For the first time all night, the heavy, suffocating darkness in the room seemed to lift by an inch. Dominic didn't smile, but the intense fury in his eyes softened into something focused and resolute.
“Grab a jacket,” he said. “We leave in five minutes.”
Related Stories
