Alyssa's pulse pounded as she tightened her grip on the gun. The docks smelled of salt and oil, the distant hum of the city barely reaching this isolated corner of Prague.
Volkov stood there, his smirk cold and knowing, his sharp features barely illuminated by the flickering dock lights. Behind him, his men moved like ghosts, armed to the teeth.
She was outnumbered. Outgunned.
But she didn't give a damn.
"You're bluffing," Alyssa said, voice steady. "If it were already done, you wouldn't still be here."
Volkov chuckled. "And here I thought you were the smart one."
Then he moved.
Faster than she expected, Volkov ducked behind a stack of crates as gunfire erupted around her. Alyssa dove for cover, bullets shredding through the air where she'd just stood.
She fired back, dropping one of Volkov's men before sprinting to a better position. But it wasn't enough there were too many.
And then she heard him.
"Stay down!"
Dominic.
Gunfire ripped through the night as Dominic stormed into the fight, cutting through Volkov's men with ruthless precision. He moved like a shadow, his shots deadly, his presence electric.
Alyssa felt a surge of relief followed by fury.
"You were supposed to stay back!" she snapped, taking out another guard.
Dominic slid into cover beside her, barely out of breath. "And let you have all the fun?" His dark eyes flicked over her, scanning for injuries. "Not a chance."
Their moment was shattered as a grenade rolled near their feet.
"Move!" Dominic grabbed Alyssa, shielding her with his body as they dove behind a metal container. The explosion shook the docks, fire and shrapnel slicing through the air.
Alyssa coughed, ears ringing. Dominic was on top of her, his body solid, protective.
For a second, the world blurred.
"Are you hit?" His voice was raw, panicked. His hands framed her face, searching her eyes.
"I'm fine," she breathed, but her heart was racing because of him, not the explosion.
Dominic's jaw clenched. "You scared the hell out of me."
Before she could respond, another round of gunfire forced them apart. They moved in sync, their bodies a lethal dance of bullets and survival.
Volkov was making his escape, heading toward the cargo ship.
"He's getting away!" Alyssa started after him, but Dominic caught her wrist.
"Together," he said, voice rough.
Alyssa nodded.
They sprinted toward the loading ramp, taking down anyone in their way. Blood sprayed, bodies fell, but nothing slowed them. The ship loomed ahead, massive and dark.
Volkov reached the deck, spinning to face them with a gun raised.
"You're too late!" he snarled, firing.
Dominic shoved Alyssa aside, the bullet grazing his ribs. He gritted his teeth, staying upright.
Alyssa saw red.
She fired, hitting Volkov's gun arm. He staggered back, cursing, but before she could finish it, a second explosion rocked the ship.
The deck tilted beneath them. The entire cargo hold was rigged to blow.
"Alyssa, we have to go!" Dominic grabbed her, pulling her toward the exit.
"But Volkov"
"We'll get him!" he swore. "But not like this!"
The fire spread fast, the ship groaning under the force of the detonations. Alyssa's heart pounded as she ran with Dominic, leaping off the ramp just as the ship erupted in a final, deafening explosion.
They hit the water hard.
For a moment, everything was silence. Darkness.
Then Dominic surfaced, gasping, pulling Alyssa with him.
They drifted, the burning remains of the cargo ship lighting up the night sky.
Alyssa turned to Dominic, breathless. His face was slick with water and blood, his expression unreadable.
Then, suddenly, his hands were on her face, his mouth crashing against hers.
It was raw, desperate, filled with everything they'd held back.
She kissed him back just as fiercely, gripping his soaked shirt, needing to feel him alive, solid, real.
When they broke apart, Dominic rested his forehead against hers.
"You drive me insane," he murmured, his voice rough. "But I need you."
Alyssa let out a breathless laugh. "Good. Because you're stuck with me."
The fire burned behind them, but in that moment, all she felt was him.
And for the first time in a long time, she wasn't afraid.