Chapter 13 - The Broken Heart
The erratic flutter against Christian’s back wasn't just fear; it was physical failure. He could feel the rapid, uneven thumps through the Kevlar vest, the horrifying sensation of a child's heart struggling to pump life through damaged valves.
""Christian..."" Serena cried out from around the corner, her voice filled with motherly intuition. ""Mia! Is she breathing?""
""She's alive!"" Christian yelled back, firing a blind burst around the pillar to suppress Viktor's advance. ""Keep moving to the courtyard! Julian, get the gate controls!""
Christian reached behind his neck, his fingers brushing Mia’s cheek. Her skin was clammy, cold, and turning a faint, terrifying shade of blue.
""Mia,"" Christian whispered, his voice cracking with an emotion he had never felt in his entire violent existence. ""Stay with me. Keep holding on.""
""It... it feels heavy,"" Mia whimpered into his shoulder, her grip on his neck loosening slightly. ""Daddy... my chest hurts.""
Daddy.
The word shattered the remaining walls around Christian Vance’s soul. He wasn't a crime lord defending territory. He wasn't an empire builder clinging to power. He was a father whose child was dying on his back while a coward fired bullets at them.
A primal, terrifying roar tore from Christian’s throat.
He didn't take cover. He stepped straight out from behind the marble pillar into the center of the hallway, racking the shotgun slide with savage speed.
Viktor’s bodyguards fired, but Christian moved forward like an unstoppable force of nature. A bullet caught him in the right shoulder, another grazed his thigh, but the Kevlar absorbed the brunt of the kinetic fury. Christian fired point-blank. The first bodyguard went down in a spray of bone and fabric. He fired again; the second guard collapsed against the wall, lifeless.
The third guard hesitated, terror flickering across his eyes at the sight of the blood-drenched giant marching through gunfire. Christian closed the distance, grabbed the man by his throat with one massive hand, and slammed his skull into the concrete floor, fracturing it instantly.
Viktor Moretti backed away, horrified, his submachine gun clicking empty. He raised his ivory cane defensively, his broken knee buckling beneath his weight.
""Christian... wait! We can split the territory! The harbor is yours!"" Viktor pleaded, his arrogance evaporating into pathetic sniveling.
Christian dropped the empty shotgun. He closed the distance in two strides, grabbed Viktor by his collar, and shoved the barrel of his sidearm into the Russian's open mouth.
""You threatened my daughter,"" Christian growled, his voice vibrating with absolute death.
Viktor’s eyes bulged in sheer terror.
Christian pulled the trigger.
The sound echoed through the ruined corridor like a thunderclap. Viktor’s body slumped to the floor, lifeless and broken.
Christian didn't spare the corpse a second glance. He spun around, sprinting down the hallway toward the rain-soaked courtyard where Julian had just hotwired an armored SUV.
""Serena! In the car!"" Christian bellowed.
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He ripped the tactical strap off his chest, cradling Mia in his arms. The little girl’s eyes were fluttering shut, her lips pale lavender, her breathing shallow and raspy.
""Hospital! St. Jude’s! Now!"" Christian roared, diving into the back seat as Julian slammed the accelerator, smashing through the ruined iron gates into the stormy morning light.
