The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 31: Dominic Russo is still alive.

When Mila arrived at the apartment, she barely had time to close the door when Dominic strode over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank God you are safe," he murmured.

Mila smiled and leaned into him, enjoying the warmth of his hug. To her, he was simply Dominic, a billionaire boyfriend, who worried too much about her.

He pulled back, the tension on his face unmistakable. "We don’t have much time. We need to leave. Right now."

Mila thought he was taking her out on a date. She laughed. "Give me a few minutes. I need a shower."

"There is no time," Dominic said urgently.

"I just came back from the hospital. I really need to freshen up." She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. "I promise I’ll be quick."

"But..." Dominic tried to stop her, but she dismissed his concern.

"Don’t be impatient. Wait for a while. I’ll be back soon." She walked toward her bedroom anyway.

Dominic sighed, passing his fingers through his hair. He had failed to convince her. All he could do was pace in the living room, every second making him more anxious.

He knew Marco’s men were on the way. If he didn’t leave right away, it would be too late.

Meanwhile, his phone rang. It was Lucas.

The moment he answered the call, he heard Lucas’ impatient voice. "Marco sent a team. They are already moving. Get out of there immediately."

Dominic glanced at Mila’s closed bedroom door. "She is in the shower."

Lucas exploded in anger. "Are you insane? You waited the whole day for her. And now she is in the shower? Do you want to die or what?"

Dominic exhaled, rubbing his temples.

"Leave now," Lucas urged. "Don’t bother about her. I’ll send guards to escort her later. Your safety comes first."

"I’m not leaving her," Dominic refused firmly.

Lucas cursed under his breath. "You are risking everything for a woman. You know how dangerous it is."

"I know," Dominic snapped back. He took a deep breath. "If they come, I’ll deal with them. But leaving her alone is not an option."

Lucas knew arguing was pointless. "Fine. I’ll wait outside. But get out before they reach you."

Inside the room...

Mila was about to go into the bathroom when she received a call from her friend, Lara.

She answered the call.

"You won’t believe it," came Lara’s cheerful voice. "Dominic Russo is still alive."

Mila frowned. "Who?"

"The mafia king – the one everyone thought dead."

"What does that have to do with me?" Mila chuckled. "I am not interested in this mafia king, because I have my boyfriend, who coincidentally has the same name. Dominic. But he is just a billionaire."

"Wow!" Lara grew curious. "You have a new boyfriend. Tell me more about him. Where did you find him?"

"I’ll tell you later. My boyfriend is waiting for me. I need to hang up now."

"Bye."

The call ended.

She took a quick shower and dressed up nicely, assuming Dominic was taking her out on a date. The red wine dress, with a high slit revealing her long, smooth leg, made her look breathtaking. She thought of putting on some makeup, but the door knocked.

"Mila," called Dominic. "Are you done? It’s getting late. We should leave now."

The door opened, and Mila appeared in front of him.

Dominic froze. At that moment, he forgot about the looming danger. He found himself staring at her in awe.

"How is it?" Mila asked cheerfully, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"You...look gorgeous," he murmured in a daze.

Mila’s smile widened. "Give me some more time. I need to do the makeup."

Dominic came to the earth. He shook his head. "No. There is no time for this. You look good without makeup." He reached out and held her hand. "Let’s get out of here now."

Mila finally sensed something was wrong. She frowned slightly. "Why are you in such a hurry? What is going on?"

"I’ll tell you on the way. But now, we need to leave."

"I need to know everything," she urged. "Tell me what is going on."

"Mila..." He sighed in exasperation. Before he could say anything further, a violent explosion rattled the whole building.

The blast threw Mila to the floor. Her head buzzed, her ears ringing loudly. Smoke filled the apartment, making it hard to see anything. Before she could recover the initial shock, gunshots erupted, terrifying her further.

A strong hand tugged at her arm and pulled her behind the bed. When Mila looked at him, she felt chills all over her body.

The man beside her wasn’t the Dominic she knew. His eyes were cold and sharp, his stance murderous. In his hand was a gun, and he fired like a trained killer.

She wondered if this was his real nature – a ruthless murderer. While she was still dazed, armed men stormed into the apartment.

Dominic moved swiftly. He shot one attacker cleanly between the eyes.

Another man rushed toward him with a knife. Dominic twisted his wrist, disarmed him, and snapped his neck with brutal efficiency.

A third man lunged forward.

Dominic grabbed his arm, slammed him against the wall, and fired at point-blank range. Blood splattered on the wall as well as on the floor.

Mila watched in horror. She had never seen something like that. The way he had just killed him, it was professional.

He wasn’t just a billionaire. He was far more than what she had assumed.

There was no fear in his eyes. He moved through the chaos with terrifying calm, reloading his weapon.

’Who is he?’ she wondered, her mind spinning restlessly.

While Mila watched him fight, she didn’t notice a man sneaking up behind her. But nothing could escape Dominic’s sharp eyes. He reacted quickly and threw a knife across the room.

Mila saw the blade flying toward her.

"Ahh..." she screamed and shut her eyes, her hands pressing her ears tightly. But the pain never came. All she heard was a dull thud.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed a man lying beside her, the knife buried deep in his chest. The sight terrified her even more. Her whole body trembled violently. Her breathing turned uneven.

Dominic eliminated the threat one by one. But he understood they couldn’t stay in the apartment any longer. More enemies must be on the way. He rushed to Mila.

"We are leaving. Now." He pulled her up by her arm and dragged her toward the balcony. "We need to get out of here."

"From here?" Mila’s face paled in fear. "We are on the fifth floor. Are you expecting me to jump from here?"

"Use the rope and go down," he instructed quickly, his eyes moving past the room, scanning for anyone coming. "Go, now."

Mila looked down and felt dizzy. "I am scared of the height," she cried. "I can’t do this." She closed her eyes frantically.

"But you have to do this," he urged.

"No," she shook her head. "I can’t. Why can’t we leave through the main door?"

"Because there will be enemies blocking the way," he explained. "Listen to me." He grabbed her shoulder and forced her to meet his eyes. "You can do this. Hold on to the rope tight and move. Don’t look down. Just focus on descending, okay?"

Mila dared to look at the rope system hanging outside. But the moment her eyes moved down, she panicked.

"I can’t. It’s too high."

More gunmen broke through the main door.

"If you stay here, you die." Dominic’s tone turned colder. "You need to move. Go." He pushed her.

In the meantime, gunfire exploded again behind them.

Terrified, Mila grabbed the rope and descended, shaking all the time.

Dominic stayed behind, firing at the attackers and forcing them back. When he made sure Mila reached the service balcony two floors down, he threw a smoke bomb. The room filled instantly with thick smoke.

Using the shield, he moved down the rope and joined her.

"Come with me." He held her hand and ran.

They came to the underground parking area.

Lucas was already waiting for them. The moment he saw them coming, he drove the car toward them. "Come on, come on," he said urgently. "Hop in."

Dominic ushered Mila into the backseat and settled beside her. Lucas floored the accelerator. The car sped out of the building just as more armed men arrived.

Inside the car, Mila sat frozen, her hands still shaking. Her mind replayed the horrifying scenes she had just witnessed. The explosion, the bursts of gunfire, the dead bodies on the floor – everything flashed in her mind. But what haunted her the most was Dominic himself.

Amidst the chaos, he remained composed, killing those guys with complete ease as if such violence was nothing unusual for him. It was as if he had done it regularly.

The realization sent chilling fear through her veins. She turned her head to him.

He didn’t look like the vulnerable man whom she had saved that night. He didn’t seem to be someone who needed help. Instead, he looked terrifying.

"Who are you?" she asked with her faltering voice.