Chapter 9 - The Dog Who Came Back
Liam had never been alone in the forest at night.
But he wasn’t alone now.
He had Goliath.
The mastiff moved through the trees with blood on his shoulder from shattered glass.
Liam kept one hand buried in the loose skin around the dog’s neck.
“Find Mom.”
Goliath sniffed the ground.
Then moved.
Liam didn’t know where they were.
He knew only that bad men had taken his mother.
And Roman.
And Uncle Anthony—though Anthony wasn’t really his uncle.
It just felt easier to think of him that way.
They reached a road.
Goliath stopped.
A vehicle approached.
Liam pulled the dog into the trees.
His mother had taught him never to hide from police.
Tonight every normal rule felt broken.
The vehicle slowed.
Federal markings.
Liam didn’t know the difference.
But one passenger stepped out wearing a dark jacket with large yellow letters.
FBI.
The man shouted, “Liam Brooks?”
Goliath growled.
The agent froze.
“We’re looking for your mom.”
Liam stayed hidden.
“What’s her name?”
“Natalie Brooks.”
“Who told you?”
“Dr. Chen contacted our office.”
Mara.
Liam stepped out.
The agents looked stunned.
One lowered his weapon.
“Is that dog friendly?”
“No.”
The agent nodded.
“Fair enough.”
Liam said, “They took my mom.”
“Who?”
“Elias.”
The agents exchanged glances.
“Can you show us where?”
Liam looked at Goliath.
The dog was already sniffing the tire tracks.
“Yes.”
Back inside the mine, Elias had stopped pretending.
He placed the three ledgers on an old wooden table.
“Thomas Reed cost me twelve years.”
Roman’s hands were tied behind the chair.
“You killed him.”
Elias looked at him.
“Yes.”
Natalie felt something inside her go still.
There it was.
No ambiguity.
No accident.
Her father had been murdered.
Elias continued.
“Your father discovered it eventually.”
Roman’s expression changed.
“He knew?”
“He suspected.”
“Why didn’t he kill you?”
“Because Vittorio was sentimental.”
Elias smiled.
“He wanted proof.”
“And before he got it?”
“His heart failed.”
Roman stared.
Elias smiled wider.
Natalie whispered, “You killed him too.”
Roman looked toward her.
Elias shrugged.
“Not directly.”
“What does that mean?”
“A man with a damaged heart should be careful what medication he takes.”
Roman’s face became terrifying.
Anthony stirred against the wall.
Elias continued.
“Vittorio trusted his doctors. His doctors trusted suppliers.”
Northstar.
The network had murdered Roman’s father with the same system that nearly killed Liam.
Roman rose violently against the restraints.
The chair nearly tipped.
“I will kill you.”
Elias remained calm.
“There you are.”
Natalie understood.
This was the Roman Elias expected.
Violent.
Predictable.
Controllable through anger.
“Roman.”
He didn’t look at her.
“Roman.”
Finally his eyes shifted.
She shook her head.
Don’t give him what he wants.
Roman breathed.
Once.
Twice.
Then sat back.
Elias’s smile faded.
“Interesting.”
Derek stood near the tunnel entrance.
His hands trembled.
“Elias.”
“What?”
“You said I’d get paid after this.”
Natalie stared at him.
Even now.
Money.
Elias looked almost bored.
“Yes, Derek.”
“And Liam?”
“What about him?”
“When you find him, he comes with me.”
Natalie couldn’t believe it.
“After everything you just heard?”
Derek snapped.
“He’s my son!”
“No. He’s your possession.”
“Shut up.”
“You sold him before he was old enough to understand what money was.”
“I said shut up!”
Derek stepped toward her.
Roman’s voice cut through the tunnel.
“Touch her and you won’t leave here.”
Derek laughed nervously.
“You’re tied to a chair.”
Roman’s gaze didn’t move.
“That condition can change.”
A sound echoed faintly from outside.
A bark.
Natalie’s heart stopped.
Goliath.
Elias heard it too.
His head snapped toward the entrance.
Derek whispered, “What was that?”
Another bark.
Closer.
Elias drew his weapon.
“Find the dog.”
Two men left.
Natalie looked at Roman.
Hope flared.
Roman subtly shifted his wrists.
Natalie saw blood.
He had been working the restraints against a jagged metal edge on the chair.
Almost through.
Elias ordered another guard toward the entrance.
Then everything happened at once.
Gunfire echoed outside.
Someone shouted, “Federal agents!”
Elias turned.
Roman snapped the weakened restraint.
His right hand came free.
He lunged.
The chair crashed sideways.
Roman struck the nearest guard.
Natalie kicked the table.
The ledgers flew into the air.
Derek screamed.
Anthony woke fully and tackled another man.
Elias fired.
The bullet struck stone.
Natalie threw herself sideways with the chair.
Roman reached her.
He tore at her restraints.
“Natalie, move!”
A massive gray shape exploded through the tunnel.
Goliath.
Behind him came Liam.
“Mom!”
Natalie screamed.
“Stay back!”
Goliath launched at Elias.
Elias fired.
The shot deafened everyone.
Goliath yelped.
Natalie’s heart stopped.
The mastiff crashed into Elias anyway.
Both hit the ground.
Roman kicked the weapon away.
Federal agents poured into the chamber.
“Hands! Show me your hands!”
Derek dropped instantly.
Anthony raised both hands.
Roman froze.
Elias crawled toward his gun.
Natalie saw him.
“Roman!”
Roman turned.
Elias grabbed the pistol.
Roman reached his own dropped weapon.
Both men aimed.
Time stopped.
Roman had a clear shot.
Elias did too.
Then Natalie shouted:
“Don’t!”
Roman’s eyes met hers.
He understood.
Killing Elias would satisfy revenge.
Keeping him alive would expose everything.
Roman lowered his aim and fired once into Elias’s shoulder.
Elias’s gun fell.
Agents tackled him.
The mine erupted in shouting.
Natalie ran toward Goliath.
The dog lay on his side.
Blood covered his chest.
“No.”
Liam dropped beside him.
“Golly!”
Natalie pressed her hands against the wound.
She searched frantically.
Entrance wound.
Shoulder.
No bubbling chest wound.
No obvious arterial spray.
“He’s alive.”
Liam sobbed.
“Save him.”
Natalie looked around.
Mara entered with another federal team.
Behind her was a medic.
Natalie shouted, “We need a veterinary hospital now!”
The medic blinked.
“That dog just helped save four hostages,” an agent said. “He gets whatever he needs.”
Goliath opened one amber eye.
Liam pressed his forehead against the dog’s massive head.
“You came back.”
Goliath’s tail moved once against the stone.
Natalie cried.
She didn’t try to hide it.
Nearby, Derek sat handcuffed.
He stared at Liam.
“Buddy.”
Liam looked up.
Derek’s face crumpled.
“I’m sorry.”
Liam said nothing.
“Daddy made mistakes.”
Liam’s expression became strangely mature.
Roman watched.
Natalie watched.
Derek continued.
“I love you.”
Liam looked at Goliath.
Then back at his father.
“You wanted money more.”
Derek began crying.
Liam turned away.
Federal agents led him out.
Elias followed on a stretcher.
He stopped beside Roman.
“You think this ends because they arrest me?”
Roman looked down.
“For you?”
He paused.
“It does.”
Elias smiled weakly.
“You’re still a Bellandi.”
Roman glanced toward Natalie and Liam.
“That’s the problem.”
Agents approached him.
“Roman Bellandi?”
“Yes.”
“You are being detained pending questioning regarding multiple federal investigations.”
Anthony stepped forward.
“His attorney—”
Roman lifted a hand.
He looked at Natalie.
She understood.
He had made his choice.
Everything.
Just as she demanded.
Roman handed his pistol to an agent.
Then placed his hands behind his back.
Natalie stared.
“You’re really doing this.”
“Yes.”
“You could run.”
“I’ve done enough of that.”
An agent cuffed him.
Roman looked toward Goliath.
“Take care of him.”
Natalie almost smiled through her tears.
“He’s the one who takes care of us.”
Roman nodded.
Then he looked at Liam.
The boy stepped closer.
“Are they taking you to jail?”
“Maybe.”
“Because you did bad things?”
“Yes.”
Liam thought.
“But you helped fix this.”
“I’m trying.”
Liam nodded.
“That counts.”
Roman’s eyes changed.
He looked away before anyone could see too much.
The agents escorted him from the mine.
Natalie watched until he disappeared.
Then she looked down at Goliath.
Hours earlier, the dog had dug a dying stranger out of the mud.
Now that stranger had surrendered an empire rather than remain the man who had built it.
And Natalie finally understood something her father had tried to teach her through a letter hidden beneath a floor.
May you like
Saving someone’s life did not always mean keeping their heart beating.
Sometimes it meant giving them one final chance to become someone else.
