Chapter 7 - The Bloodline's Secret
The heavy brass struck the gunman squarely across the temple with a dull, sickening thud. His shot went wide, chewing into the ceiling plaster as he staggered backward, cursing in agony.
That fraction of a second was all Viktor needed.
Closing the distance with blinding speed, Viktor seized the barrel of the rifle, redirecting it downward while driving his elbow savagely into the man’s throat. A sickening crack echoed in the enclosed hallway. Viktor swept the attacker’s legs, driving him into the tiled floor, and fired a single round into his chest.
Silence fell, broken only by the heavy, ragged sound of Elena’s breathing.
Viktor stood over the fallen assassin, his chest rising and falling slowly. He turned his head toward Elena. Blood trickled down his left cheek from a shrapnel cut, but his obsidian eyes burned with an emotion so fierce, so intensely feral, it rooted her to the spot.
""You threw a candelabra at a hitman,"" Viktor said, his voice a low, raspy growl.
""He was going to kill you,"" Elena gasped, clutching her bruised ribs, her heart hammering against her teeth. ""I didn't... I just reacted.""
Viktor closed the distance between them, stepping over the corpse without looking down. He pinned Elena gently against the wall, his bloody hand coming up to frame her jaw. His fingers were shaking slightly—not with fear, but with an overwhelming, violent possessiveness.
""Twice,"" he murmured, his face inches from hers, his dark eyes consuming her completely. ""Twice you have stepped between death and a Vane. You think you are ordinary, Elena? You are a walking wildfire.""
Elena swallowed hard, her breath mingling with his. ""We need to find Leo.""
""He is safe,"" Viktor whispered, his thumb wiping a smudge of soot from her lips. ""The bunker beneath this floor is built to withstand a tactical airstrike. But you... you need to know why they are coming for him.""
Before Elena could ask, the elevator doors at the end of the hall slid open with a chime. Marcus stepped out, his rifle held low, two tactical operators securing his flank.
""Perimeter clear, Mr. Vane. The strike team has been eliminated. Three captured alive for interrogation,"" Marcus reported, ignoring the dead man on the floor. ""Leo is secure in Vault B.""
Viktor lowered his hand from Elena’s face, though his eyes lingered on hers for a beat longer before turning back to his lieutenant. ""Take Miss Vance to the lower vault. I will join in ten minutes.""
May you like
""Wait,"" Elena said, grabbing Viktor’s sleeve. ""What were you about to say? Why Leo? He’s six years old!""
Viktor looked down at her fingers gripping his dark shirt, then met her gaze with an expression carved of pure stone. ""Because Leo is not just my son, Elena. He is the sole surviving heir to the Silvano bloodline through his mother. And his uncle wants him dead to claim their entire syndicate.""
