BLOODLINE OF SHADOWS

Dominic spun around, pulling a custom nickel-plated revolver, but Marcus was already upon him. Marcus grabbed Dominic's wrist, slamming it against the steel bulkhead until the revolver clattered over the railing and plunged into the churning black water below.

Dominic’s two remaining bodyguards rushed in, knives drawn. Marcus sidestepped the first attacker, using the man’s momentum to hurl him over the railing into the harbor. He caught the second man's blade between his forearms, delivering a savage knee strike to the sternum that incapacitated the bodyguard instantly.

Dominic backed up against the ship’s railing, clutching his bruised wrist, staring at Marcus with wide, terrified eyes.

"Marcus, wait! We were brothers!" Dominic pleaded, his voice cracking. "I gave you everything! We built this empire together!"

"You kept Elena locked away while she was dying," Marcus growled, stepping forward with unstoppable momentum. "You used an innocent child as a pawn in your sick game."

"I took care of her!" Dominic lied desperately. "I gave her shelter!"

"You left her to rot in a warehouse surrounded by killers," Marcus answered, his voice icy and unforgiving. "Her mother deserved peace. Lily deserves a life. And you deserve this."

Marcus stepped forward and landed a final, decisive blow that sent Dominic crashing unconscious onto the steel deck. Marcus didn't execute him; instead, he handcuffed Dominic securely to the ship's heavy anchor chain and tossed the digital hard drives containing all syndicate financial records onto the deck for federal authorities to find.