Chapter 13 - Concrete and Crimson
Elena clutched the heavy pistol, the metal cold and foreign against her palms. ""I don't know how to shoot!""
""Point and pull,"" Viktor said, his eyes scanning the rooftops with razor-sharp calculation. ""Stay behind me. If anyone comes near you who isn't wearing a silver pin, empty the magazine.""
A black SUV careened around the corner, jumping the curb and screeching toward them across the plaza. Four men dressed in dark tactical gear leaped out, opening fire with suppressed submachine guns.
Viktor moved like a ghost born of violence.
He lunged from behind the marble balustrade, firing double taps with absolute precision. Two gunmen dropped before their boots hit the sidewalk. Viktor closed the distance on the third, using the man’s body as a shield against incoming fire while unloading his magazine into the fourth attacker.
Elena crawled along the marble ledge, her heart in her throat, the midnight-blue silk of her dress tearing against the rough concrete. The pain in her healing back flared, but adrenaline silenced it. Through the smoke, she saw a fifth gunman circling around the fountain, his weapon aimed directly at Viktor’s blind spot while Viktor was busy reloading behind the ruined SUV.
There was no time to call out. No time to deliberate.
Elena raised the heavy black pistol with both hands, steadying her shaking wrists against the stone balustrade. She centered the iron sights on the gunman’s chest, closed her eyes to the fear, and pulled the heavy trigger.
The recoil drove her arms backward. The gunshot boomed in the enclosed plaza like a thunderclap.
The gunman spun, collapsing into the shallow fountain with a heavy splash, his rifle clattering across the stones.
Viktor turned sharply, his eyes widening as he saw the fallen assassin, then snapped his gaze to Elena, who was kneeling behind the balustrade, the gun smoking in her hands, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
A fierce, savage pride flared across Viktor’s face. He sprinted across the open ground, sliding to his knees beside her, hauling her into his arms.
""You killed him,"" Viktor murmured against her hair, his voice vibrating with disbelief and awe. ""You saved me again.""
""I... I had to,"" Elena sobbed, dropping the weapon as shock set in. ""He was going to shoot you.""
A siren wailed in the distance. Marcus brought up the backup armored truck, sliding the side door open. ""Boss! We have thirty seconds before the harbor bridge is shut down! Dante’s main force is moving toward the estate!""
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Viktor’s face hardened into stone. He lifted Elena effortlessly into the vehicle, jumping in behind her as the heavy doors slammed shut.
""Dante isn't trying to kill us here,"" Viktor realized, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper as the vehicle accelerated through the night. ""This was a distraction. He’s attacking the manor. He’s going for Leo.""
