THE UNFORSEEN DOMINANCE OF ZACH MARLOW

~ 5 ~

Zach stared at the broken men before him, his chest heaving. His hands trembled, not with fear, but with the sheer force of what he had just done. He didn’t recognize himself. How had he done this? The impossible strength, the quick reflexes—it all felt like someone else’s body.

But he pushed the questions aside for now. He had to protect Mary.

“Leave now,” Zach commanded, his voice low and unyielding. His piercing gaze swept over the gang, daring them to challenge him. “Or none of you will leave in one piece.”

The leader, now visibly shaken but desperate to maintain control, snarled. “You think you’re untouchable, boy? Darius will hear about this.” He turned to his men. “Get him! All of you! Squash him like the bug he is!”

Mary’s face went pale, and she tugged on Zach’s arm. “Zach, don’t! There are too many of them. You’ll get hurt!”

Zach gently pushed her behind him, his tone steady. “Stay back, Mary. I won’t let them touch you.”

The gang hesitated for a moment, eyeing Zach warily, but at the leader’s barked orders, they charged as one.

It didn’t matter.

Zach moved like lightning, dodging their blows with an ease that stunned even him. A swift kick sent one thug sprawling, another fell with a broken arm, and a third crumpled to the ground with a single punch. The sound of groans and cracking bones filled the air as Zach systematically took them down.

Within moments, the gang lay scattered on the ground, groaning in pain. The leader, now panicked, tried to back away, but Zach caught him by the collar, lifting him off the ground.

“Zach, stop!” Mary’s voice was urgent, her hands grabbing his arm. “Let them go. Please.”

Zach turned to her, his expression hard. “They burned our home, Mary. They tried to take you. They deserve worse.”

Her eyes glistened with tears, but her voice was firm. “I know. But the Fitzroys… They’re too powerful. If you kill him, they’ll come for us. Please, Zach. We need to live to fight another day.”

Zach’s grip tightened for a moment, but then he sighed, his anger giving way to reason. He dropped the leader unceremoniously, who stumbled back, clutching his throat.

“Get out of here,” Zach growled, his tone like ice. “And tell Darius if he comes after my family again, I’ll make him regret it.”

The leader didn’t need to be told twice. He barked at his remaining men to retreat, and they scrambled into their car, speeding away as fast as they could.

Zach turned to Mary, his voice softening. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, but her eyes were red. “Zach… Mom… They burned her. They said it was to erase the evidence. She’s gone.”

Mary wrapped her arms around him, her sobs muffled against his chest as he held her close, his own heart heavy with grief and rage.

His fists clenched as he stared into the distance, his voice low and full of fury. “I’ll make them pay, Mary. For everything. They won’t get away with what they’ve done.”

Mary grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with fear. “Zach, no! You can’t. The Fitzroy family... even the police won’t go against them. They’re untouchable!”

“I don’t care,” Zach said sharply, his rage barely contained. “They burned down our home. They killed Mother. They tried to take you. Someone has to stop them.”

Her grip tightened. “And what if they come for you next? You don’t know what they’re capable of, Zach. Please… promise me you’ll be careful.”

Zach sighed, his anger softening under her plea. “I promise,” he said quietly. “I’ll be careful. But I won’t let them destroy what’s left of us.”

Mary nodded hesitantly, though her worry remained etched on her face. After a moment, her shoulders sagged, and she looked at him with despair. “But what do we do now, Zach? Our house… it’s gone. Everything Mom worked so hard to build is gone.”

“We’ll find another place,” Zach said, though even he didn’t know how.

Mary’s voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes again. “Where? We’re homeless, Zach. We have nothing. They’ll come back—Darius or someone worse—and this time, they won’t leave us alive.”

Zach reached out and pulled her into a hug. “That won’t happen,” he said firmly. “I’ll find a way to keep you safe.”

Mary pulled back slightly, her voice trembling. “What about Maya? Could she help us?”

His jaw tightened at the mention of his wife. “Don’t think about Maya,” he said flatly. “She’s not part of this.”

Mary stared at him, her despair deepening. “Then what? Are we going back to the slums? Mom worked so hard to keep us out of there, Zach.”

He gently brushed a tear from her cheek and sighed heavily. “No, Mary. We’re not going back there.”

But even as he said the words, doubt crept into his mind. How could he protect her when they had nothing left? Then he remembered the black card.

He decided he would go to the bank and see if the mysterious woman’s claims were true and if the card was real.