Chapter 8 - THE BULLET AND THE BETRAYAL
Adeline saw the mercenary raise his rifle before Enzo did.
Without a single second of hesitation, she shoved Enzo hard to the side, throwing her own body into the line of fire.
Crack.
The suppressed rifle spat a single round.
The bullet grazed Adeline’s left shoulder, tearing through her gray housekeeping dress and biting deep into the stonework behind her.
She cried out, stumbling backward against the wall as a bloom of dark red blossomed across her shoulder.
Enzo reacted with terrifying speed.
Before the mercenary could pull the trigger a second time, Enzo pivoted, raised his Sig Sauer, and put two rounds squarely through the man's chest.
The mercenary collapsed instantly, sliding down the marble wall into a pool of dark blood.
Enzo dropped to his knees in front of Adeline, his face completely drained of color.
"Adeline," he whispered, his hands hovering over her bleeding shoulder, terrified of causing her more pain.
"You idiot... why did you do that?"
"Because..." she winced, pressing her hand against the wound, "...you're the only one who can finish this."
Enzo’s jaw tightened so hard a muscle twitched violently in his cheek.
He ripped off his silk tie in one swift motion, wadded it into a tight pad, and pressed it hard against her bleeding shoulder.
"Ambrose!" Enzo roared, his voice echoing off the scorched stone walls like thunder.
"Get the armored SUV ready at the back garage! Now!"
"Right away, Master Enzo!" Ambrose's voice crackled over the intercom.
Enzo scooped Adeline up into his arms effortlessly, lifting her against his chest as though she weighed nothing at all.
She gasped softly, her arms resting naturally around his neck, her head leaning against his broad shoulder.
"You're bleeding," she murmured against his collar.
"I'll survive," Enzo muttered, his eyes fixed on the smoke-choked corridor ahead.
"You, on the other hand, are going to test every surgical skill you ever learned."
They burst through the heavy service doors into the cool night air just as a sleek black armored SUV screeched to a halt beside the gravel path.
Ambrose flung the rear door open.
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Enzo slid inside, pulling Adeline safely into his lap as the vehicle surged forward into the dark Chicago night, leaving the burning ruins of the Marchetti estate behind them.
THE END OF CHAPTER 8
