Chapter 22 - A Fraction of a Second
Time seemed to fracture, stretching into a agonizingly slow eternity. Clara saw the black metal of the pistol align with her chest. Her breath caught, her lungs burning as the sheer terror of the moment paralyzed her limbs. She was back in the freezing alleyways of her past, helpless, waiting for the blow to fall.
But she wasn't alone anymore.
Before Julian’s finger could squeeze the trigger, Nico moved with terrifying, predatory speed. He didn't just step in the way; he lunged down the remaining stairs, bridging the gap between them like a striking adder.
*Bang.*
The muffled crack of the silenced pistol echoed through the townhouse, a puff of plaster exploding from the wall a mere inch from Clara’s head. But Julian never got off a second shot. Nico collided with him mid-air, a brutal, bone-crunching impact that sent both men crashing onto the marble foyer floor.
Clara screamed, tearing down the stairs, her vision swimming with panic. "Nico!"
In the entryway, a flurry of limbs and desperate grunts filled the space. Julian lashed out with a heavy brass paperweight he had grabbed from the hall table, grazing Nico’s temple and drawing a dark streak of blood. But Nico didn't hesitate. With a cold, calculated fury, he delivered a crushing blow to Julian’s wrist, forcing the firearm to clatter harmlessly across the stone floor.
Before Julian could recover, Nico pinned him to the floor, his forearm pressing brutally against the disgraced executive's windpipe. Julian’s thrashing slowed, his face turning purplish as air failed to reach his lungs.
"Nico, stop! You'll kill him!" Clara cried, dropping to her knees beside them, her small hands grabbing onto Nico’s rigid shoulder. "Don't let him drag you down to his level. Please."
Nico’s chest heaved, his dark eyes locked onto Julian’s terrified, bulging eyes. For a terrifying second, Clara feared the monster Boston whispered about had truly taken over. Then, slowly, the tension bled out of Nico’s frame. He released the pressure on Julian’s throat just enough for the man to gasp in a ragged breath of air.
"Pathetic," Nico spat, rising to his feet and pulling Clara back against his chest with one protective arm, shielding her from the gasping wreck on the floor.
Heavy boots thundered against the front steps outside, followed by the sound of the reinforced security door being kicked completely off its hinges. Half a dozen armed private security guards in black tactical gear swarmed the foyer, weapons drawn, shouting commands.
"Secure the perimeter! Take him down to the basement holding cell and notify the federal marshals," Nico ordered, his voice echoing authoritatively through the shattered hall.
May you like
As Julian was dragged away, cursing and thrashing into the snowy night, Clara buried her face in Nico’s chest, finally letting the tears fall. Nico wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair, whispering fierce, broken promises of safety into the quiet ruins of their New Year’s night.
***
