Dominic Hayes wasn't a man who took orders, especially from someone he didn't know. But something about the woman's voice on the phone cold, confident, and carrying a quiet intensity made him pause.
"Alyssa Rowan," he repeated. "Never heard of you."
"You will soon," she replied. "But for now, let's keep this simple. Someone's trying to kill you, and if you don't start listening, they'll succeed."
Dominic wasn't easily rattled, but the message earlier and now this mysterious call made his grip on the phone tighten. "And what makes you think I need your help?"
"Because I just took a bullet for you," she said flatly.
That caught his attention. He signaled Julian, who was watching the conversation from across the room. Julian raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.
"Explain," Dominic demanded.
Alyssa sighed on the other end. "Your name has been circulating in circles you don't belong in. Someone—probably Volkov—wants you dead, and my guess is that it has something to do with your little feud with Andrew Cole."
Dominic glanced at Julian, who was already typing furiously on his laptop, pulling up files on Cole and Volkov.
"Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't," Alyssa admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm the only thing standing between you and a bullet to the skull."
Before Dominic could respond, a gunshot shattered the penthouse window.
"Down!" Julian shouted, tackling Dominic just as another round of gunfire sprayed across the living room. The sleek, modern furniture shattered under the barrage, glass exploding into the air.
Dominic hit the ground hard, adrenaline spiking. "How the hell did they get this close?"
Julian was already moving, pulling a pistol from his waistband and returning fire. "We've been compromised. We need to move now!"
Dominic grabbed his own gun from the safe under the coffee table, heart pounding. This was no warning shot this was an execution attempt.
His phone, still connected to Alyssa, buzzed again. "Still think you don't need my help?"
Dominic gritted his teeth. "Where are you?"
"Sending you coordinates," she replied. "But you need to survive the next ten minutes first."
Dominic didn't have time to question how she knew what was happening. He exchanged fire with the attackers, catching a glimpse of black-clad mercenaries rappelling down from the roof.
Julian took out one, but more were coming.
"We can't hold this position!" Julian shouted.
Dominic's mind worked fast. The panic room. It had a secondary escape route.
"Cover me!" he ordered.
Julian laid down suppressing fire while Dominic sprinted toward the hallway, bullets tearing into the walls behind him. He reached the hidden panel, pressing his hand against the scanner. The door slid open.
"Inside!" he yelled.
Julian dove in after him, just as a grenade landed in the living room.
The explosion shook the penthouse, sending fire and debris flying. The blast hurled Dominic and Julian forward, slamming them against the metal walls of the escape tunnel.
Dominic groaned, shaking off the ringing in his ears. "We're getting the hell out of here."
Julian, coughing from the smoke, nodded. "And I say we find this Alyssa Rowan before whoever's after us does."
The coordinates Alyssa sent led them to an abandoned train yard on the outskirts of the city. The moment Dominic stepped out of the car, gun in hand, he felt a pair of eyes on him.
Then she stepped out of the shadows.
Alyssa Rowan was nothing like he expected. Tall, lean, and radiating the kind of confidence that came from surviving too many near-death experiences. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, a small cut visible on her cheek, and she wore tactical gear like it was second skin. Her piercing blue eyes locked onto his with no hint of fear.
"So, you're the infamous Dominic Hayes," she said, arms crossed. "I expected more bullet wounds."
Dominic smirked despite himself. "I try to avoid them."
Julian wasn't as amused. "You gonna tell us why we almost got blown to hell?"
Alyssa pulled a file from her bag and tossed it onto the hood of their car. "Volkov doesn't just want you dead he wants your company. And he's using Andrew Cole as a front to do it."
Dominic's jaw tightened. "Cole's alive?"
"Barely," Alyssa replied. "But he's not the one pulling the strings. Volkov's been using him as bait, knowing you'd eventually take the threat seriously. Tonight's attack was just the beginning."
Julian skimmed through the file, his face darkening. "These are contracts offshore accounts being funneled into dummy corporations. They're buying up Hayes Industries stock, piece by piece."
"They're gutting your empire from the inside," Alyssa said. "And when you're out of the picture, Volkov takes it all."
Dominic clenched his fists. He wasn't just being targeted for revenge he was being erased.
He looked at Alyssa. "Why help me?"
She hesitated for the briefest moment before saying, "Because Volkov is responsible for the worst day of my life. And I'm going to make sure he pays for it."
A beat of silence passed between them. There was something in her eyes; pain, determination. Whatever Volkov had done to her, it had cut deep.
Dominic had spent years learning how to read people, and in that moment, he knew she wasn't lying.
"Then it looks like we have a common enemy," he said.
Alyssa smirked. "Then let's get to work."
The alliance was uneasy, but necessary. Dominic wasn't used to trusting people outside his circle, and Alyssa wasn't used to working with billionaires who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty.
But as the night stretched on and they poured over intel, a strange kind of chemistry sparked between them.
At one point, Julian left to make a call, leaving them alone.
"You don't strike me as the 'corporate bodyguard' type," Dominic said, watching her closely.
Alyssa chuckled, sipping her coffee. "That's because I'm not. I kill people for a living."
Dominic arched an eyebrow. "That supposed to scare me?"
She tilted her head, studying him. "Most people would at least be concerned."
He leaned in slightly. "Most people aren't me."
For the first time that night, Alyssa smiled not the calculated, hardened smile of a trained operative, but something real. "That explains why Volkov wants you dead so badly."
Dominic's eyes flicked to her lips for half a second before he forced himself to look away. Now wasn't the time for distractions.
But something told him Alyssa Rowan was going to be a distraction he wouldn't be able to ignore.
And if Volkov wanted war, then war was exactly what he'd get.