Page 44 of The Hunter's Empire

Pictures slide across the tablet screen. Dark hair. Sharp suit. Controlled smile.

"He is intelligent enough to appear civilized while ordering violence from a distance." Domenico continues calmly. "Which makes him significantly more dangerous than men who enjoy blood openly."

I study the screen carefully. "And Fergus?"

"Old-fashioned." His voice cools slightly. "Believes fear is the cleanest form of authority."

A quiet silence settles between us for a moment as the weight of the operation presses back into focus.

Then Domenico looks at me again.

"Do not underestimate anyone at that estate." He says quietly. "The Keegans survive because powerful people need them to."

I nod slowly. "I know. I am not here to fail."

Domenico studies me for a moment before a faint, almost approving smile appears. "Good."

The rest of the flight passes between cover stories, security protocols, and discussions about the estate’s weaknesses. And somewhere during the middle of it, I stop noticing the fact that his hand is still resting lightly against my waist.

By the time the jet begins descending through thick Irish clouds, the atmosphere inside the cabin feels heavier somehow.

Through the window, dark coastline appears beneath the rain and fog, distant lights glowing faintly against the hills. Ireland.

Domenico finally withdraws his hand before straightening slightly in his seat.

Then he looks at me directly.

"Once we step inside the Keegan estate," he says quietly, "we stop being ourselves completely. Remember that."

I nod once as the wheels touch Irish grounds. The operation has officially begun.

Chapter 11

Zora

"Give me your phone." The words leave Domenico's mouth the moment the jet's engines power down completely.

For a second, I simply look at him.

Rain taps softly against the windows, and beyond the glass the night stretches across the private airfield in shades of black and grey. The flight is over. Ireland is no longer a destination. It is reality.

Without arguing, I hand him my phone.

Domenico takes it and walks toward a secure compartment built into the rear section of the cabin. He places his own phone beside mine, enters a code, and locks both devices inside.

The metallic click echoes quietly through the cabin. Something about the sound feels final. I watch him return to his seat.

"You are really leaving them here?"

"Yes."

I frown. "Why?"

Domenico shrugs into his coat before answering. "Because they will not make it past the front gate."

His tone is calm, but there is something different about him now. The easy banter from the flight has disappeared. Even his posture seems sharper. More alert.

"The Keegans do not allow communication devices inside the estate." He continues. "No phones. No smart watches. No trackers. Nothing capable of transmitting information."