Chapter 14 - Blood and Vows
Christian stepped out of the haze of smoke and shattered glass, his suit jacket torn, his face streaked with soot and a deep cut along his cheekbone. He dropped the unconscious mercenary to the floor, snatched the fallen rifle, and fired two precise rounds into the second intruder before the man could even turn his barrel.
Silence crashed back over the hall, thick and heavy with the smell of cordite and copper.
""Christian!"" Clara sobbed, rushing out of the vault despite the danger.
Christian dropped the weapon, his chest heaving. He staggered slightly, his left hand pressing against his side where blood was rapidly soaking through his dress shirt. But when he saw Clara and Lily unharmed, the tension snapped in his frame. He caught Clara in his arms, pulling her and the baby against him in a fierce, crushing embrace.
""Are you hit?"" he rasped, his voice ragged with exhaustion. ""Did they touch you?""
""No, no, we're fine,"" Clara cried, her tears mixing with the blood on his cheek as she cupped his face with both hands. ""You're bleeding, Christian! Julian is hurt!""
""I'm functional, sir,"" Julian groaned from the floor, using a torn curtain to tie off his wounded shoulder. ""Merely an inconvenience.""
Christian didn't let go of Clara. In the dark, ruined hallway, surrounded by the debris of an assassination attempt, he buried his face in Clara’s neck, his body trembling with an adrenaline crash.
""He crossed the line,"" Christian whispered, his voice dangerously calm, colder than the grave. ""He brought guns into my home. He pointed a weapon at my family.""
The front doors of the estate groaned open, illuminated by the flashing red and blue lights of state police cruisers and Vance private security vehicles roaring up the driveway.
May you like
Julian looked up, exhaling a ragged breath. ""The cavalry, sir.""
Christian pulled back slowly, looking into Clara’s tear-stained eyes. He reached up with his uninjured hand and gently wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. ""It ends tonight, Clara. Pack Lily’s things. We're going to Marcus's tower.""
