Chapter 2 - Blood on the Altar
Glass rained down on us like jagged diamonds.
Before I could even process the sound of the gunshot, Luca moved.
He tackled me to the stone floor, shielding my entire body with his massive frame.
"Stay down!" he roared, drawing a weapon from inside his tuxedo jacket in a blur of motion.
More bullets tore through the ancient wood of the pews.
I covered my ears, squeezing my eyes shut as the deafening sound of return fire filled the chapel.
Marco and two other guards were already moving, shouting commands in rapid Italian.
Luca grabbed my waist, hauling me to my feet while keeping me tucked tightly against his side.
"We need to move, Sophia," he said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
I stumbled over my own dress, my clumsy feet betraying me once again.
He didn't miss a beat, simply scooping me up into his arms as if I weighed nothing.
He carried me through a hidden door behind the altar, kicking it shut behind us.
We were in a narrow, pitch-black tunnel that smelled of damp earth and old secrets.
He set me down gently but kept one heavy hand resting on my shoulder.
"Are you hit?" he demanded, running his hands quickly down my arms to check for blood.
"I am fine," I gasped, though my heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and clicked it on.
The beam illuminated his face, which had transformed into a mask of pure, lethal fury.
"Who was that?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound brave.
Luca walked over to the heavy wooden door we had just come through.
He used the tip of a pocketknife to pry a stray bullet out of the thick wood.
He held the deformed piece of metal up to the light, his jaw clenching so hard it looked painful.
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"This is custom ammunition," Luca whispered, his eyes dark with betrayal.
"Only my personal security detail has access to these bullets."
