The Almighty Dominance

Jericho Kane? What does he want with the Heaven Root?" Alex ed.

*I heard his daughter's suffering from a rare genetic heart condition, and he thinks the Heaven Root can save her," Kelly explanted, glancing at Alex

"Bella Kane?" Alex repeated.

"Yes," Kelly confirmed.

Alex let out a weary sigh. He imagined Bella hiding her pain beneath an elegant façade. No wonder Jericho Kane spoiled her every whim and excused her worst habits.

"Alex, how should we handle this?" Kelly asked, her tone unsettled by the news. "I've got to get my hands on that Heaven Root," Alex declared without hesitation. "There's no time to waste. I'll head to Vermont today."

He stepped outside the clinic and was stunned to see a group of homeless men clashing with two brutish thugs lugging a drum. The looks on those thugs' faces made it clear they were up to no good.

"What's going on here?" Alex demanded.

"Doc, these two louts were about to pour oil around the clinic," one of the homeless men said.

"We figure they planned on burning the place down."

Another homeless man nodded. "You treat us for free, so they must have a death wish trying to torch this clinic."

The two hulking men sneered at the ragtag group. "Mind your own business, you filthy beggars,". one spat.

He raised a foot and kicked at one of the homeless men.

Immediately, the others retaliated, hurling empty bottles and whatever they could grab.

Furious at the uprising, the man tried swinging at them, but the homeless group scattered, still pelting him with debris as they darted around.

Alex's eyes narrowed.

"Someone pay you to burn this clinic?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

bet," one of the men snarled, "and they put a price on your head, too. I'm about to

snapped open a folding knife and stalked toward

Alex

the thug

sure

lunged. "That ten grand is for your

shock, his partner grabbed the same knife and drove it into his

you doing?" the first thug roared, eyes wide

as if some unseen force guided

each other again and again, unable to control their

1/3

as both men collapsed pale ar trembling, until they lay still in a crimson pool One

cool. "They were hired to kill me. Couldn't even decide who'd claim the bounty,

spat on the

'em right. They counted their chickens before

rifled through the dead men's pockets, taking

bodies would be dealt with

word, Alex hailed a cab. He had more important matters on liis mind:

hours later, Alex arrived at

in the lounge, a commanding figure whose gaze burned with the memory of their recent

brings you here?" Jericho asked,

met Jericho's stare head-on. "I'm here

Too bad for you, I need it myself. I'm not

flatly. "The Heaven Root

just some Kingwell's dog with a knack for violence, so don't lie to me." "I am a doctor," Alex

helped Bella the other day, I'll let that slide. Otherwise, I'd

"You're not getting the Heaven Root.

Alex exhaled slowly.