Chapter 6 - Smoke and Lead
The hallway filled with the acrid smell of cordite and burnt gunpowder.
“Stay behind me,” Dominic instructed, his left hand gripping my shoulder as we crept toward the grand mahogany staircase overlooking the foyer below.
Through the balustrade, I saw shadows moving through the smoke. Four men in tactical black gear were sweeping the lower landing, automatic rifles raised, methodically clearing the ground floor.
“Mateo, flank left,” Dominic spoke quietly into his lapel mic. “Enzo, take the courtyard exit. Pin them against the marble pillars.”
Crack. Crack.
Two sharp reports echoed from the courtyard doors as Enzo opened fire, dropping the lead intruder before he could swing his rifle toward the stairs. Pandemonium erupted. Gunfire shattered the priceless crystal chandelier overhead, raining thousands of sparkling crystal shards across the marble floor like frozen rain.
“Clear!” Mateo yelled from below.
Suddenly, a heavy boot slammed onto the lower step of the grand staircase. A masked gunman vaulted upward, his assault rifle leveling directly toward Dominic’s chest.
My body moved on pure instinct. The training from old self-defense videos I’d half-watched years ago merged with the raw adrenaline surging through my veins. I raised the Walther PPK, squeezed my eyes half-shut, and pulled the trigger.
Thump.
The suppressed pistol coughed softly. The bullet caught the intruder squarely in the shoulder, spinning him off balance just as Dominic’s Beretta roared twice, dropping the man before he could regain his footing. He tumbled backward down the marble stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.
I stood there, my hands shaking so violently I nearly dropped the gun, staring at the smoke curling from the barrel.
Dominic stepped back, grabbed my wrist gently, and pried the weapon from my numb fingers, setting it aside. His eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and an overwhelming, blazing intensity.
“You shot him,” Dominic breathed, as if seeing me for the very first time.
“He was aiming at you,” I whispered, my knees suddenly turning to water.
May you like
Dominic caught me before I hit the floor, scooping me up effortlessly into his arms as the remaining echoes of gunfire faded into an eerie, suffocating silence.
“You’re a menace, Elena Rossi,” he murmured against my hair, carrying me away from the smoke toward the secure command center in the east wing.
