Chapter 7 - The Aftermath and the Ultimatum
I rushed across the bunker and threw the heavy steel security bolt, swinging the vault door open just as Vincent stepped out of the elevator shaft.
He looked exhausted, his white dress shirt stained with soot and a dark streak of blood along his shoulder, but his posture was rigid and unyielding.
"Are you hurt?" I blurted out, rushing forward and instinctively reaching out to check his arms before I caught myself and pulled my hands back, flushing red.
Vincent looked down at me, a soft, rare gentleness cutting through the hard lines of his face. "It’s not my blood, Elena. I’m fine."
"They found the elevator shaft," I said, my voice trembling as I gestured toward the monitors. "If they had detonated that breaching charge—"
"They didn't," Vincent interrupted smoothly, stepping past me into the bunker. He walked over to the kitchenette, poured a glass of water, and drained it in three long swallows. "Because Dominic and I anticipated the secondary access route twenty minutes ago. The men they sent were professional contractors—Vance’s elite enforcers. Which means Marcus is running out of options."
"That was his elite team?" I asked, incredulous.
"And they're currently tied up in my sub-level holding cells," Vincent replied, setting the glass down with a sharp clink. He turned back to face me, his expression turning stone-cold. "Which means it’s time to end this. Once and for all."
"What are you going to do?"
"I’m going to pay Marcus Vance a visit," Vincent said simply, as if he were talking about dropping by a grocery store.
Panic flared in my chest. "You can't walk into his territory! It’s suicide! That’s what he wants you to do!"
"If I stay here playing defense, he’ll keep trying to crack my estate, and sooner or later, he might actually succeed," Vincent said, stepping closer until he was standing right in front of me. The heat radiating off him was overwhelming. He reached out, taking my cold hands gently in his large, calloused palms. "I won't live like that, Elena. And I refuse to let you and Mia live under that kind of terror for another second."
"Vincent, please," I whispered, tears finally spilling over my lashes and tracking down my cheeks. "You just survived an assassination attempt and a tactical breach. You can't just walk into the lion's den alone."
"I won't be alone," Vincent said, his voice dropping to a low, hypnotic murmur. "I’ll take Dominic and the core security detail. But before I leave... there is something I need to make clear."
I looked up at him, my breath hitching in my throat. "What?"
"If I don't come back," Vincent said, his dark eyes holding an intensity that made my heart ache, "everything I own—this estate, my accounts, my protection—is legally transferred to you and Mia. Dominic has the papers drawn up. You’ll be entirely safe, untouchable by Vance or anyone else."
"Don't talk like that," I choked out, a sob breaking free from my chest. "I don't care about your money, Vincent! I care about... I care about you."
The moment the words left my lips, the air in the bunker seemed to freeze.
Vincent stared at me, sheer shock flashing across his face before a deep, fierce emotion ignited in his dark eyes. Before I could pull back, he cupped the back of my head with one large hand, pulled me flush against his chest, and lowered his lips to mine.
The kiss was fierce, desperate, and utterly consuming—a collision of two broken worlds finding a sudden, violent anchor in each other. All the fear, the secrets, the adrenaline of the past twenty-four hours melted away into the sheer heat of his embrace. My hands curled instinctively into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer as the world outside ceased to exist.
May you like
When he finally pulled back, resting his forehead gently against mine, we were both breathing heavily.
"Wait for me," Vincent whispered against my lips.
