Chapter 8 Eight

The night had gone quiet after the last round of bullets, but everyone was still on the edge, shocked by what they had just witnessed, even though they had seen dead bodies a thousand times before and had learned over the years to be calm and cold when situations like this came up. The smoke was still lingering in the air, accompanied by the bitter stench of gunpowder clinging to every breath.

Two of Dom's men were now lying on the concrete, the blood soaking into their shirts, forming a pool beneath them. The three men Blaze had sent were also sprawled across the cement floor, lifeless, eyes open to nothing but the dark sky above them.

Locke was still standing in front of Domenico, having jumped in to shield him when Blaze's men returned fire. His chest was heaving, and despite the thick skin he'd developed over the years, his hands were slightly shaking from the near-death situation. He turned around and looked at the gory scene that instantly started to gnaw at him, clawing deep inside his chest until the words were forced out of his mouth.

"Shit!" His voice cracked through the stillness. "Rafe was the only one who was supposed to die. The other men were supposed to learn and keep their mouths shut."

Dom, who was standing a few feet away now, lifted his chin, completely emotionless. He didn't need eyes to smell the way the air carried death. "It wasn't your fault, Locke. They pushed us. They threatened us. You answered the way you were supposed to."

Locke shook his head, throat tight as he tried to accept what he had just done, but it was really hard. "Doesn't matter who's gone. I hate it when lives are lost for no good reason." he tore his eyes away from the dead men and cursed loudly again.

But just then, a low groan came from the ground. Locke whipped his head around and to his surprise, one of Blaze's guards, who'd been shot in the chest, was shifting weakly, clearly in a lot of pain. His body was shaking, and his breath was ragged, but he wasn't gone yet. Seeing this, Locke's eyes flashed with hope. "One of them is alive!" He announced before turning towards the other guards that luckily didn't get hit. "Someone get him to the hospital now. Don't just stand there, move him!"

Two guards rushed forward immediately but before they could get to him, the night cracked again with another deafening sound of gunshot. And then the man who'd just been clinging onto life, went still. Locke knew, instantly, that the man was dead. He clenched his jaw and looked away.

Dom handed Locke the gun back, not flinching. Then he spoke to Dom. "We need to make a statement, Locke. You let them see who you are. People never learn unless it's the hard way. That's the only language men like Blaze understand. Besides, that man killed one of my guards. But you wanted to get him treated." He paused for a moment, scoffing. "Sometimes, you disappoint me, Locke."

Locke was staring at the ground now, not in a position to argue or question his boss's decision. Dom continued.

"See to it that these bodies are buried immediately, and I don't want any trace of DNA around here." he ordered. "And Locke, I want a meeting with Blaze. At the family mansion, tomorrow morning. That's the only place we can discuss giving the ledger back. Make sure he knows the details of the meeting."

Locke nodded, still carrying that grim look on his face. "Of course, boss."

Getting to the Stone mansion the next morning, Domenico was pissed to hear that his brother hadn't yet arrived at the mansion for the meeting. If anything, Blaze was supposed to be the one waiting for him, not the other way. He leaned back on his chair, fingers tapping the armrest, sightless eyes staring straight ahead as if they could see farther than the sunglasses he was wearing. Locke sat on the other side of the regal, marble table, elbows on his knees as he wondered what the outcome of this meeting was going to be. There had been so much tension going on between the stone brothers lately, and last night had surely set everything ablaze. He knew that Blaze was going to respond, and it was going to be ugly.

The silence was interrupted when a soft knock sounded on the door. At his order, the door opened and Lucy walked in. Stopping in front of them, she gave a curt bow.

"Do you gentlemen need anything?" She asked quietly, her head still bowed in more fear than reverence.

Locke looked at her and what he saw made him freeze. What caught his attention first was the way she cowered, not wanting their eyes to meet. But upon a closer look, he discovered how hollow she looked and how her body trembled just with her standing there. But what made me freeze was the two deep bruises on her legs and one on her neck. He could only stare at her for a moment before he finally asked.

"Why do you look like that?" His voice was rough, but he sounded genuinely worried.

Her hands fidgeted in her hair as she replied quickly. "I- I fell."

Locke's eyes narrowed and then he ran his eyes over again. What he saw made his gut churn. He discovered that it wasn't just the three noticeable bruises that she had. It wasn't just one or two, it was everywhere. There were more fading purple marks than he could count. Some of them were fresh and raw, and others were fading but were still ugly. Angry that she had lied to him, he stood up slowly, eyes lasered in on her slender, shaking frame.

"Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to lie to me. A fall doesn't cause scores of bruises, does it?" He asked.

But she couldn't say a word. She froze at the spot, her lips trembling. And before she could answer, Dom suddenly pushed himself up from his seat and started moving towards her. He had this steady, slow, gait that made it seem like he was looming towards anybody he was walking towards. And just like it worked on everybody else, it worked on Lena.

Because she was already stiffened, her arms now wrapped around her small frame as she trembled like a leaf caught in a wild wind.

When he spoke to her, his voice was low, sharp, and had an undertone of danger that scared her out of her wits. "AAre you stupid... or stubborn? Or both?" He tilted his head. "Do you want me to hurt you before you speak?"

The tears were already welling up in Lena's eyes as she imagined Nicole whipping and torturing her again. Her job had been to simply serve them, but considering how complicated things were getting, she feared for her life. She shook her head and replied in stutters. "I- I was punished."

Dom took one more step in front of her and reached out towards her, with his towering figure looming over her like dark clouds announcing a storm. "Come here."

She hesitated, but his tone left no room for any kind of refusal or argument. Slowly, she stepped closer until he could touch her. Her whole body was still shaking.

"I want you to guide my hand," Dom said. "Show me every bruise she inflicted on you."

Her hands trembled as she lifted his and placed it against her shoulder, then her neck, arm the two long scores of marks on her legs. The entire time, Dom noticed she couldn't stop shaking. She wasn't just scared, but utterly traumatised as well.

Locke, who felt sick, just by seeing the things that had been done to her added. "The bruises are really bad, boss."

"I can feel it," Dom replied, still resting his hand against the last bruised skin she'd shown him. "Who did this to you?"

Lena shook her head as the fear choked her. Nicole was going to kill her if she mentioned her name.

Locke gave her an angry look. "Don't make him ask again."

Her lips parted, and then the words came out in a broken whisper. "It... It was Mistress Nicole."

A loud silence followed, and for a long moment, everybody was quiet, until Dom broke the silence with a question. "Nicole did this?"

She nodded through the tears that were trickling down her cheeks now.

Dom let out a slow exhale, but it wasn't calm. It was rage trying to contain itself. He knew it was because of the ledger. Lucy had lost it after Nicole gave it to her, and because of that, she'd been made the scapegoat for something she wasn't even supposed to be holding in the first place.

Lucy lowered her head, utterly broken now. She felt so small and fragile in his hands, and the situation she was in made it seem like the next gust on wind would snap her in two.

"She needs help," Dom muttered before he let go of her and returned to his chair. "Call in the guards and ask them to take her to the hospital immediately. If she's left like this, she won't survive the night."

But that was the moment the doors burst open, slamming against the wall with a crack so violent and loud Lucy jumped.

Blaze walked in, eyes blazing with anger. His jaw was set and his lips pressed in a thin line. Every part of his face was carved in anger. "She's not going anywhere until you tell me where my guards are!"