Chapter 4 - The Vipers Uncoil
The cold steel of the silencer pressed hard against my collarbone.
Sylvia smirked triumphantly and smoothed the wrinkles from her expensive gown.
She told the massive man to take me down to the wine cellar and dispose of the problem quietly.
I glanced frantically toward the stroller, praying the thick canopy hid my daughter completely.
The assassin aggressively shoved me toward the hidden service doors behind the curtain.
I stumbled forward, my mind racing desperately for a way to survive.
I tapped my earpiece twice, the silent emergency signal Marcus and I had established.
The assassin pushed me down a dark, narrow staircase leading deep into the basement.
The air grew damp and smelled strongly of aged oak and expensive wine.
He forced me to my knees on the cold stone floor and raised his weapon to my head.
He coldly stated that it was nothing personal, just a highly lucrative business transaction.
I closed my eyes and prepared for the deafening sound of the gunshot.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden door at the top of the stairs burst open with a loud crash.
Marcus leaped down the steps, wielding a heavy metal tactical baton.
He swung the baton with brutal force, striking the assassin squarely in the jaw.
The massive man dropped his gun and stumbled backward into a towering wine rack.
Hundreds of expensive glass bottles shattered violently across the stone floor.
Marcus grabbed the dropped handgun and aimed it directly at the dazed assassin.
He quickly secured the man to a heavy support pillar using thick plastic zip ties.
I gasped for air and thanked Marcus while violently trembling from the adrenaline.
Marcus handed me a small, encrypted flash drive.
He said he had successfully hacked into the venue's audiovisual system from his van.
He told me to plug the drive into the DJ's laptop when the ceremony began.
I tucked the drive into my emerald dress and rushed back up the stairs.
I had to get back to my baby before Sylvia realized her assassin had failed.
I slipped back into the ballroom and rushed toward the secluded corner where I left the stroller.
My heart completely dropped into my stomach when I saw the empty space.
The luxury stroller and my precious daughter were entirely gone.
I frantically scanned the crowded room, panic threatening to suffocate me.
I saw Julian standing near the grand altar, holding my covered stroller next to him.
He was smiling directly at me with a sickening, triumphant gleam in his eyes.
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He subtly tapped the side of his jacket, revealing the distinct outline of a concealed weapon.
He mouthed the words that he would kill the baby if I made a single move.
