Chapter 6 - The Betrayal Inside Chicago
Three days later, Victor Rourke was in federal custody.
Patrick Sloan had made a deal before sunrise.
By noon, three of Victor’s gambling houses had been raided.
By evening, every criminal organization from Chicago to Philadelphia knew the same thing.
Red Hayes had survived.
Again.
Clara sat inside Dominic’s private gym, wrapping her hands.
Dominic leaned against the ring.
“You know you don’t have to train today.”
“I know.”
“Your ribs are still bruised.”
“I know.”
“Leo said rest.”
“I heard him.”
Dominic crossed his arms.
“You’re very bad at receiving advice.”
Clara looked up.
“So are you.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“I’m in charge.”
Clara laughed softly.
“That may be the most Dominic Castellano sentence you’ve ever said.”
He climbed into the ring.
“What are you doing?”
“Sparring.”
“No.”
He stopped.
“No?”
“You’re still favoring your left side.”
Dominic looked offended.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“Prove it.”
Clara stood.
She threw a fake jab.
Dominic instinctively shifted away on his right.
Clara pointed at him.
“There.”
He frowned.
“That proved nothing.”
“It proved you’re stubborn.”
“We already knew that.”
Clara smiled.
Then the gym doors opened.
Marco entered.
His expression was serious.
“Boss.”
Dominic immediately turned.
“What?”
“We found something.”
Clara stopped wrapping her hands.
Marco handed Dominic a phone.
“There were messages between Victor’s people and someone here.”
Dominic read them.
His expression changed.
“Who?”
Marco hesitated.
“Carlo.”
Silence.
Clara looked between them.
“Who’s Carlo?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
“My cousin.”
Marco continued.
“He gave them your schedule.”
Dominic stared at the phone.
“He told them when Clara worked at Cobalt.”
Clara’s expression changed.
“That’s how they found me.”
Marco nodded.
“Yes.”
Dominic handed the phone back.
“Where is he?”
“We don’t know.”
The gym suddenly went dark.
Clara froze.
Dominic whispered, “Down.”
A gunshot shattered the silence.
Glass exploded above the ring.
Dominic grabbed Clara and pulled her behind the corner post.
She shoved him.
“I can move myself.”
“Noted.”
Another shot struck the ropes.
Marco returned fire toward the entrance.
“Two shooters!”
Emergency lights flickered on.
Clara looked toward the side door.
“Dominic.”
“What?”
“That door.”
He followed her gaze.
A figure moved.
Carlo.
Dominic’s face went cold.
“Stay here.”
Clara grabbed his sleeve.
“No.”
“He betrayed my family.”
“And he wants you angry.”
Dominic looked at her.
“You think I’m going to let him walk?”
“I think you’re about to walk into exactly what he planned.”
Carlo disappeared through the door.
Dominic hesitated.
Then Marco shouted.
“Boss!”
A vehicle engine roared outside.
Dominic ran.
Clara followed.
They reached the garage just in time to see a black sedan tearing through the exit.
Dominic swore.
Marco approached.
“We can track it.”
Dominic looked at him.
“How?”
“Company vehicle.”
Dominic’s expression changed.
He pulled out his phone.
A location appeared.
Clara leaned closer.
“Where is he going?”
Dominic stared at the map.
Then his face hardened.
“Hospital.”
Clara went completely still.
“Evan.”
She was already running before Dominic could say another word.
Evan Hayes woke to the sound of his hospital room door opening.
He expected a nurse.
Instead, Carlo Castellano stepped inside.
Evan frowned.
“Who are you?”
Carlo closed the door.
“A friend of your sister.”
Evan looked toward the call button.
“You don’t look friendly.”
Carlo smiled.
“Smart family.”
He pulled a gun from beneath his coat.
Evan froze.
“Where’s Clara?”
“Not here.”
“She will be.”
Carlo took out his phone.
Then the door opened again.
Carlo turned.
Clara stood there.
Breathing hard.
Her eyes dropped to the gun.
“Move away from him.”
Carlo smiled.
“Red Hayes.”
“Move.”
“Dominic really does have a weakness for you.”
Clara stepped inside.
“Leave my brother out of this.”
“I tried.”
Carlo shrugged.
“Victor promised me control of half the Chicago waterfront.”
“And now Victor is in jail.”
“Because of you.”
“No.”
Clara’s voice remained calm.
“Because he was stupid enough to trust people like you.”
Carlo’s face tightened.
“Get on your knees.”
Evan looked at Clara.
“Don’t.”
Carlo pointed the gun toward him.
“I said kneel.”
Clara slowly lowered herself.
“Clara!” Evan snapped.
She looked at him.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Carlo smiled.
“This is beautiful.”
Then another voice came from the doorway.
“No.”
Dominic stood there.
His gun was raised.
“This is embarrassing.”
Carlo turned.
“Dominic.”
“Point the gun away from them.”
Carlo laughed.
“You always were arrogant.”
Dominic stepped inside.
“And you always confused cowardice with intelligence.”
“Put your gun down.”
“No.”
Carlo aimed at Clara.
Dominic’s expression changed.
Carlo saw it.
Then he smiled.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“Your weakness.”
Dominic’s voice became dangerous.
“She isn’t my weakness.”
Carlo laughed.
“You crossed Victor Rourke for a waitress.”
Clara spoke from the floor.
“He crossed Victor because Victor was an idiot.”
Carlo looked at her.
“Be quiet.”
“No.”
She slowly rose.
“Sit down!”
Carlo shifted the gun toward her.
That was the opening.
Dominic moved.
Carlo fired.
The shot struck the wall.
Clara drove forward.
She grabbed Carlo’s gun arm with both hands.
Dominic slammed into him from the side.
All three crashed against the hospital wall.
Evan shouted.
A nurse screamed outside.
Carlo punched Dominic.
Dominic answered.
Clara trapped Carlo’s wrist.
“Drop it!”
He resisted.
She twisted harder.
The gun fell.
Dominic kicked it away.
Carlo swung at Clara.
She ducked.
His fist missed.
Clara answered with a left hook.
Carlo staggered.
Dominic caught him.
“You betrayed me.”
Carlo spat blood.
“You were losing control.”
Dominic slammed him against the wall.
“I gave you everything.”
“You gave me orders.”
“And Victor gave you promises.”
Carlo smiled.
“At least he understood ambition.”
Dominic’s fist tightened.
Clara saw what was coming.
“Dominic.”
He didn’t look at her.
“Move.”
“No.”
“This is family.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t do it.”
Carlo laughed.
“She’s telling you what to do now?”
Dominic raised his fist.
Clara grabbed his arm.
“Look at me.”
He finally did.
“Don’t become him.”
Dominic stared at her.
The anger remained.
But slowly, his fist lowered.
Carlo’s smile vanished.
Police rushed into the hallway.
Dominic stepped back.
Clara looked at Carlo.
“See?”
She nodded toward the officers.
“That’s what losing looks like.”
Carlo was handcuffed and dragged away.
Dominic remained silent.
Evan looked at Clara.
Then at Dominic.
“So…”
Clara immediately frowned.
“No.”
Evan smiled.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were going to.”
Dominic looked confused.
“What?”
Evan pointed between them.
“This.”
Clara stared at him.
“There is no this.”
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
“That sounded unnecessarily aggressive.”
Clara turned.
“Do not help.”
Evan laughed.
For the first time in months, Clara laughed with him.
Dominic watched her.
Then his phone buzzed.
Leo.
He answered.
“Yeah?”
“You need to get back here.”
“Why?”
Leo sounded amused.
“Because thirty people are outside Cobalt asking about Red Hayes.”
Clara frowned.
“What?”
Dominic put the call on speaker.
Leo continued.
“Somebody posted footage from the sparring session.”
Dominic looked at Marco.
Marco immediately raised his hands.
“Not me.”
Leo laughed.
“It’s everywhere.”
Clara closed her eyes.
“No.”
Dominic smiled.
“Oh, yes.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Apparently Chicago wants a rematch.”
Clara pointed at him.
“You are never getting a rematch.”
Dominic’s smile widened.
“Afraid?”
Clara stared at him.
Then she smiled slowly.
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“I just don’t want to embarrass you twice.”
Evan laughed so hard the heart monitor began beeping faster.
A nurse rushed in.
“What happened?”
Evan pointed at Dominic.
“My sister beat up a mafia boss.”
Clara covered her face.
Dominic looked at the nurse.
“For the record, the first round was controversial.”
Clara dropped her hands.
“Controversial?”
“You stopped before the bell.”
“Because I felt sorry for you.”
Dominic stared at her.
“That does it.”
He pointed toward the door.
“Gym. Tomorrow.”
Clara smiled.
“Fifty thousand again?”
“No.”
“What, then?”
Dominic looked at her.
“Dinner.”
The room went silent.
Even Marco stopped moving.
Clara blinked.
“That was terrible.”
“It wasn’t a line.”
“It sounded like one.”
Dominic shrugged.
“If you win, I take you to dinner.”
“And if you win?”
“You take me.”
Clara stared at him.
“So either way we have dinner.”
Dominic smiled.
“Now you understand.”
Evan whispered, “I like him.”
Clara pointed toward her brother without looking away from Dominic.
“You are heavily medicated.”
Evan grinned.
Dominic held out his hand.
“Tomorrow?”
Clara looked at it.
Then at him.
A few weeks earlier, she had been hiding behind a server’s uniform.
Now Victor was finished.
Carlo was gone.
Evan was safe.
And Dominic Castellano was standing in front of her asking for something no man in her old life had ever offered.
Not ownership.
Not obedience.
A choice.
She took his hand.
“Tomorrow.”
Dominic smiled.
“Headgear?”
Clara shook his hand once.
“For you?”
She walked toward the door.
“Absolutely.”
Dominic watched her leave.
Marco approached.
“Boss?”
“What?”
“You realize she’s probably going to hit you again.”
Dominic smiled.
“I’m counting on it.”
May you like
And the next fight between Dominic Castellano and Clara Hayes would end very differently.
Because neither of them would be fighting to survive anymore.
