Chapter 3 - Blood on the Marble
Viktor moved before the crack of the rifle shot had fully dissipated into the damp air.
With a speed that defied his imposing frame, he shoved Elena down behind the armored door of the Maybach, his broad body forming a human barricade over both her and Leo. Shouts erupted across the courtyard. Spotlights snapped on, bathing the dark stone facade in brilliant white glare, while the harsh bark of suppressed assault rifles tore the night to shreds.
""Cover!"" Viktor barked, his voice carrying an iron authority that cut through the chaos.
A security detail clad in charcoal ballistic vests swarmed the perimeter, opening fire into the tree line with methodical precision. Viktor lifted Elena by her waist with one arm, using the open door as a shield, and drove her forward toward the grand double doors of the manor. Elena stumbled, the pain in her shoulder screaming as adrenaline surged through her veins.
They burst into the grand foyer, the massive oak doors slamming shut behind them with the deafening chime of magnetic locks engaging.
Leo was wide awake now, crying softly against Viktor’s neck. ""Papa... the bad men are back.""
""Quiet, little wolf,"" Viktor said, his voice dropping instantly into a soothing, gravelly cadence. He set the boy down on the polished black marble floor, kneeling so they were eye to eye. ""What is the rule?""
Leo sniffled, rubbing his eyes with small fists. ""Stand behind the stone, wait for the iron.""
""Good boy. Go with Marcus to the safe room.""
A towering man with a scarred cheek stepped forward from the shadows, bowing his head slightly before gently guiding Leo down the subterranean hallway. The boy looked back once, his wide brown eyes lingering on Elena with undeniable adoration before the door clicked shut.
Silence descended upon the foyer, heavy and charged.
Elena leaned against a marble pillar, breathing hard, her hand pressed against the collar of her ruined uniform. She looked down and realized her fingers were coated in dark crimson.
""I told you,"" she whispered, her voice shaking violently. ""I told you I shouldn't be here.""
Viktor walked toward her, peeling off his cufflinks and tossing them onto an antique console table. ""That shot wasn't meant for you. It was meant for me.""
""Then why keep me here? If I’m near you, I’m a target!""
He stopped merely inches from her. His hand rose, his thumb brushing against the curve of her cheek, wiping away a stray fleck of dirt. The contrast between his lethal violence outside and this dark gentleness terrified her more than the bullets.
""Because the moment you threw yourself over my son, you stepped into my perimeter,"" Viktor murmured, his eyes scanning every inch of her pale face. ""And I do not surrender what falls within my borders.""
He turned sharply as an older man in a tailored medical coat entered the foyer carrying a leather bag. ""Dr. Rossi. Strip the glass from her back. Use local anesthetic. If she feels pain, I will take your fingers.""
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""Understood, Mr. Vane,"" the doctor said, bowing.
As the doctor led Elena toward a private examination room down the corridor, Elena looked back over her shoulder. Viktor was standing at the entrance, reloading a heavy semi-automatic handgun with mechanical detachment, his eyes fixed entirely on her retreating figure.
