Sorry for the ridiculous wait. A huge thanks to my mentor-of-sorts, nicknamed Rumpole, who routinely inspired me to keep the engine going. Apologies for anything that isn't up to scratch. It's been too long.
Warning -- contains strong themes.
******
There's something to be said for keeping an eye on the ball. When the gunman's attention shifted to Sandy, his arm strayed. It was only centimetres, but enough to completely miss Alex's head when he pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed the top of Alex's ear, burning his skin as it shrieked by his temple.
Not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Alex kicked the intruder's legs from under him and launched atop the man. As they wrestled for the gun, the silencer was dislodged and a deafening report sounded. The residence shuddered as the bullet embedded in the ceiling.
Alex couldn't weaken the man's stubborn grip, but he easily manipulated the gunman's arm, twisting it to aim at his partner, who released Sandy and was fumbling for his own firearm. Stupidly staggering to the side in his panicked search, he never thought to use Sandy as a shield.
"Bam!" Alex snarled, forcing his assailant to pull the trigger, discharging two bullets into the other man's chest before twisting it back on his opponent.
"Wait!" the man gasped, his eyes wide with horror as Sandy fell to her knees beside them, holding a glinting blade to his throat.
"Oh, I'll wait," Alex said viciously, and briefly turned to spit blood that had run into his mouth. "I have questions for you." He looked at Sandy.
"Baby, get the other gun. Call Mark. Leave the knife."
"I guess we're involved now," she said numbly, unsteadily getting to her feet.
"No," Alex briskly shook his head. Still speaking to her, his aqua eyes burned as the glared down at his prisoner. "Not you. Tell Mark where we are, and then pack your things. I want you out of the city until this blows over."
"No," Sandy's eyes ran over his handsome features, shining with fresh blood. "They'll kill you. You have to run with me."
"I won't spend the rest of my life hiding like a rat," Alex grunted, his fingers tightening about the man's throat.
Meeting his eyes, Sandy recognised the same steely determination in them as their initial encounter, when he'd told her she would one day belong to him.
"This isn't the first time I've had to overcome a dangerous obstacle," Alex continued pointedly, referring to Sandy's ex-boyfriend, who hadn't taken kindly to her choice to leave him for Alex.
With no reply, Sandy's gaze softened. They were going to be separated for the first time since becoming an item, and his new course was a deadly one. She didn't want to remember him crouched over another man, violence painted across his face in bright, red streaks.
As though Alex could read her mind, the anger faded from his face.
"Baby, don't look so fucking dramatic," he chided gently, at the same time pressing down on the other man's throat until he gagged for air. "When have I ever failed?"
"Against the Castillos?" she whispered, wringing her hands with anxiety.
Alex smirked, glancing down as the man beneath him sagged into unconsciousness. "It's not a battle I'd have picked," he admitted heavily. "But there's a balance. They think I'm dead for the moment. We have a fighting chance."
"But Alex-" she protested.
"Baby, I can still cuff this asshole and put you over my knee," he said firmly, the edge of his mouth curved into a wicked smile. "Don't argue."
"I'd like that," she replied, though her voice thickened with tears. She peered worriedly over her shoulder. "I think you've killed him."
"He touched your tits," Alex retorted, as though that was explanation enough. His eyes narrowed murderously at the memory.
Sandy didn't reply. It wasn't the first time she had seen a man die, but it had been a very long time.
"Call Mark," Alex chuckled at her fear and wiped his bleeding nose on his shoulder. "I need to sort out some things and get you somewhere safe. I promise I'll give you a farewell to remember. Not that I'll be gone long," he quickly added, when her jaw dropped with dismay.
Reluctantly leaving the room to retrieve Alex's phone, Sandy didn't see the cocky humour disappear from Alex's bloodied face as his sharp eyes followed her exit. A grim, almost wistful severity took him over, silently voicing the understanding that he probably wouldn't get out alive. Without his illegal operation, he had nothing. There would be nowhere for him to run, but Sandy could still have her life. With him out of the picture, they'd lose interest in her.
Deciding long ago that he loved Sandy beyond any other woman, in that moment his feelings were proven true. An ache spread through his chest with the realisation of all he was set to lose, all the things he never thought he'd find in his screwed-up lifetime. It was his sacrifice to make for the woman he loved, and to finally even the score with Cory. It was the only way he could fix things with the few people in his life he cared about.
"You'll be alright, baby," he whispered, still staring at the door.
************
As Frank and Stanley hauled Katie down a wide, sun-flooded corridor, they were unexpectedly interrupted. An eerie silence reigned over the hallway as they faced their obstruction. In surprise, Frank let Katie's slender legs slip through his arms, whilst Stanley maintained a firm grip on her upper torso, unnecessarily close to the underside of her breasts. Katie was so shocked she'd forgotten to fight and hung limp in Stanley's inappropriate hold.
All three of them gaped at a stunned Dominique, returned unexpectedly early from golfing. Confident his son would be gone for at least another hour, George was very explicit that Katie's presence was to be kept secret. It hadn't been long, but to Dom it felt like years, and he grappled with the overwhelming emotions that seemed to clash and expand within him like a punch to the chest - vengeful rage, elated lust. His memory hadn't played tricks, after all. She was just as beautiful as when...
"Leave her!" he breathed, dropping the clubs. They clattered to the shined floorboards, echoing down the quietened hall.
Frank and Stanley quickly looked at each other with wide-eyed dismay, unsure what to do. No longer fighting to be free, Katie gripped Stanley's arms.
"No, please-" she choked, her throat constricting in horror. "You can't leave me with him!" Though her plea was hushed, the desperate whisper carried, and Dom clearly registered the insult.
"Leave her!" he shouted, hurrying toward them. Frank stepped forward, both palms held up cautiously.
"Now, Dom," he reasoned. "You should wait. You don't want to anger your-"
Frank's neck snapped to the side and he spun into the wall as Dom punched him full strength. Though his face still showed the best of Mark's beating, Dom's hands were fine, and he was well-accustomed to using fists to get his way. When Frank went flying, Stanley dropped Katie and quickly backed away. Katie crumpled to the ground, feebly edging backward as Dom purposely approached.
"Uhhh!" she cringed and shut her eyes as Dom seized a tight fistful of her dark, silky hair. Crouching, he bent and in one rough tug he forced their faces close.
"Open your eyes!" he snarled, his other hand roughly seized her shoulder and shook it fiercely. "Open!"
As Katie's green eyes fluttered open, bright with terror, Dom sighed with a kind of twisted relief. "Yes," he exhaled a deep breath, their foreheads touching. "My emeralds."
Dom slightly turned his head to address the others. "I'll take it from here," he said curtly, and neither Frank nor Stanley had the courage to argue.
"No, no, no!" Katie moaned miserably, feeling Dom's arms snake around her waist and haul her up with him, to her feet. "No-!"
"Yes," Dom grinned widely into her face, holding her against him. His bruised lip and missing teeth gave him a ghastly appearance that his usual good looks couldn't rectify. "I've got you, now," he spoke lowly, malice resonating with every word. Scooping her into his arms, Dom carried her down the hallway.
Frank and Stanley stared at each other for a speechless moment, before bolting back to George's office.
*************
Dom stormed into his room and unceremoniously dumped Katie onto the bed. Climbing on top of her, he quickly fixed his hand around her neck, pinning her to the white satin sheets before she could rise.
Though the room's pale-blue curtains were fully drawn, the silken material was razor thin, not dense enough to cast more than a gentle shadow upon the room. No one could see in, but the sun persevered, brightening the room with daylight.
"Was it worth it?" Dom sneered sinisterly. Watching her squirm under his touch, he felt slight satisfaction from her startled expression as her wonderful eyes ran over his broken face.
"Y-yes," Katie stuttered with adrenaline-fuelled defiance, half-frozen with fear.
Dom's upper lip was split in two places, his nose was in a splint and nasty patches of multi-coloured bruising clouded his entire face. He looked like an escaped criminal. His roguish dark hair was gone, shaved to access the cuts across his forehead and temples. Taking in his injuries, Katie was pleased Greg hadn't exaggerated, though quite shocked by Mark's violent capability. But despite his facial disfiguration, Dom's fitness was unaffected. Though not in Mark or Cory's league of physique, Dom was very strong. Beneath the tight, yellow t-shirt, his torso was rock hard.
"Good. Because I'm going to make you sorry for everything," Dom replied grimly, leaning down toward her, and she cringed away from his bruised face. "You're going to pay for every little thing you've done to piss me off."
Keeping one hand around her neck, the other gripped the top of her black jumper and Katie cried out in surprise as he forcefully ripped it open, baring her breasts.
