Chapter 10 - Twelve Minutes
Dominic reached the elevator cage at 4:41 a.m.
Eleven minutes remained.
Lily was crying.
Grace had both hands over her ears.
Emma stood against the bars.
“Daddy.”
Dominic stopped.
He stared.
Emma pointed at him.
“Daddy.”
His knees nearly gave out.
She had never said it before.
Not once.
Dominic gripped the bars.
“I’m here, baby.”
Luca’s second team searched the wiring.
“Pressure trigger under the cage.”
Dominic’s heart dropped.
“If we open it?”
“Could detonate.”
“If we cut power?”
“Could detonate.”
“Then tell me what doesn’t detonate it.”
Nobody answered.
Dominic looked through the bars.
“Emma.”
She stared at him.
“Can you show Daddy where the bad man went?”
Emma pointed upward.
Catwalk.
Dominic saw movement.
Julian.
Watching.
Dominic’s blood turned to ice.
Julian held a remote.
“Sign the papers.”
Dominic stood slowly.
“They’re signed.”
“Bring them up.”
Dominic handed the folder to Luca.
“Stay with them.”
He climbed.
Julian waited near the river doors.
Broken gold watch on his wrist.
“You always were dramatic,” Dominic said.
Julian smiled.
“You always were sentimental.”
Dominic held out the documents.
Julian checked them.
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
“Warehouses?”
“Yes.”
“Construction?”
“Yes.”
“Port contracts?”
“Yes.”
Julian smiled wider.
“And what did it cost you?”
Dominic looked down at his daughters.
“Less than you think.”
Julian’s smile faded.
He lifted the remote.
“You think I’m stupid?”
“No.”
Dominic moved closer.
“I think you’re lonely.”
Julian’s face hardened.
“All these years, you wanted my chair.”
“Father gave you everything.”
“He gave me responsibility.”
“He gave you power.”
“And you thought stealing it would make you me.”
Julian raised the remote.
Dominic stopped.
“Careful.”
Below, technicians worked desperately.
Seven minutes.
Julian’s thumb rested over the button.
“You know what Evelyn’s mistake was?”
Dominic said nothing.
“She thought evidence mattered.”
“It does.”
“Not when the right people are afraid.”
Dominic looked toward the loading doors.
“Maybe.”
Julian frowned.
Sirens sounded outside.
Federal vehicles.
Police.
Emergency teams.
Julian’s face changed.
“What did you do?”
Dominic smiled without warmth.
“I signed the companies over.”
Julian stared.
“And Hannah emailed Evelyn’s files to three federal offices.”
Julian’s jaw dropped.
Dominic continued.
“You wanted my empire.”
He stepped closer.
“So I burned it before you could have it.”
Julian pressed the remote.
Nothing happened.
He pressed again.
Below, Luca held up a severed receiver wire.
Julian turned pale.
Dominic hit him.
Once.
Hard.
Julian crashed into the railing.
The remote fell.
Dominic could have hit him again.
Instead, he stepped back.
Police poured onto the catwalk.
Julian laughed through bloody teeth.
“You think this makes you clean?”
Dominic said nothing.
“You’re still Dominic Vale.”
“I know.”
“You’ll lose everything.”
Dominic looked at his daughters.
“No.”
He glanced toward the incoming officers.
“I finally figured out what everything is.”
Below, the cage opened.
Emma ran.
Dominic rushed down the stairs.
All three girls hit him at once.
He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around them.
“Daddy!”
Three voices.
Three words.
Three little bodies alive.
Dominic cried openly.
Nobody looked away.
Then Hannah arrived with Evelyn.
The triplets saw the two identical women.
They froze.
Dominic stood.
Evelyn took one shaking step forward.
“Girls?”
Lily stared.
Grace’s lip trembled.
Emma looked from Evelyn…
to Hannah…
then back again.
For one terrible second, nobody moved.
Then Emma pointed toward Evelyn.
“Mama.”
Evelyn collapsed to her knees.
All three girls ran into her arms.
Hannah smiled through tears.
Then Grace turned.
She pointed at Hannah.
Everyone waited.
Grace frowned as though solving the most important puzzle in the world.
May you like
Then she said:
“Other Mama.”
