Chapter 9 - The Gala of Roses
The Grand Ballroom of the Palmer House was a sea of crystal chandeliers, black-tie elegance, and whispering elites. Thousands of white roses adorned every pillar and table, scenting the air with sweet perfection. It was a monument to our survival.
Alina walked down the grand marble staircase on my arm, turning every head in the room. In a midnight-blue gown embroidered with silver thread, she commanded the room with effortless grace.
As we took the floor for our first dance, the string quartet swelling into a timeless waltz, I pulled her close.
“You look breathtaking,” I whispered against her hair.
“You clean up all right yourself, Mr. Moretti,” she teased softly, her eyes sparkling with quiet amusement.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them. Three men in tailored tuxedos slipping through the service doors near the dais, their hands heavy inside their jacket pockets. Marcus’s remaining loyalists. They thought they had bypassed security. They didn't know Viktor and his team had replaced half the catering staff with our elite enforcers.
As the assassins drew their silenced sidearms, aiming toward the center of the dance floor, Alina didn't flinch.
With practiced smoothness, I spun her slightly, using my own body as a shield while my hand drew the concealed Kimber pistol from my tuxedo waistband. Three muffled shots echoed through the ballroom. Before the wealthy guests even realized what was happening, the three assassins dropped silently to the polished floor, neutralized before they could take a single shot.
Viktor and two guards materialized instantly, swiftly dragging the bodies out through the service doors as if nothing had happened.
The music never skipped a beat. The couples around us continued to waltz, completely oblivious to the lethal dance of survival happening inches away.
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Alina looked up at me, a brilliant, triumphant smile breaking across her face. “Not even a ruined dance, Dante.”
“Nothing touches you while I’m breathing,” I vowed, pulling her tighter as we spun beneath the crystal lights.
