Chapter 9 - The Target
The brutal impact threw Claire violently against the passenger door.
Her head cracked sharply against the glass, making her vision swim with dark, dizzying spots.
Lucia dropped her gun in the chaos, clutching her bleeding arm where the shattered glass had sliced her.
The dark sedan spun entirely out of control, crashing heavily into a brick wall in the alleyway.
Claire gasped for air, the taste of metallic blood and deployed airbags filling her mouth.
She kicked her jammed door open and practically fell out onto the wet, dirty pavement.
Three men wearing heavy black tactical gear jumped aggressively from the massive armored truck.
They were not wearing masks, and they looked like highly trained military mercenaries.
“Grab the Bennett woman alive!” the lead mercenary shouted, pointing his assault rifle directly at Claire.
Claire scrambled to her feet, her oversized gray sweatpants soaking up the cold alley puddles.
She started running blindly toward the crowded main street, completely terrified for her life.
Gunfire immediately erupted behind her, the heavy bullets aggressively chipping the brick walls near her head.
A massive, incredibly strong hand suddenly reached out from a narrow doorway and pulled her violently into the shadows.
Claire tried to scream, but a gloved hand firmly covered her mouth.
She looked up in sheer terror and saw Vincent Moretti looking down at her.
He was wearing a black tactical vest over his ruined dress shirt, his face covered in dark sweat and soot.
“Be absolutely quiet,” Vincent whispered directly into her ear, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
He pulled his hand slowly away from her mouth, pressing her firmly against his broad chest in the dark alcove.
“I thought you traded me to the Caldwells,” Claire breathed, tears of sheer relief flooding her eyes.
Vincent’s dark eyes flashed with pure, unadulterated fury.
“I would burn this entire city to the ground before I ever let another man touch you.”
He pulled a heavy, suppressed submachine gun from his side and peeked around the brick corner.
The three Caldwell mercenaries were actively searching the alley, moving closer to their hiding spot.
Vincent turned back to Claire, his large hand gently cupping her bruised cheek.
“Lucia is a traitor, and my own men are heavily compromised,” Vincent confessed quietly.
Claire felt a deep, horrifying chill run straight down her spine.
The untouchable mafia billionaire boss was completely isolated and hunted in his own city.
“What do we do now?” Claire asked, her hands firmly gripping his dark vest.
“I am going to kill every single person in this alley, and then we run,” Vincent stated simply.
He stepped smoothly out of the dark alcove, his heavy weapon raised with absolute precision.
He fired three terrifyingly quiet, perfectly placed bursts in less than two seconds.
The three mercenaries dropped instantly to the wet pavement, completely dead before they even realized he was there.
Vincent did not hesitate for a fraction of a second.
He grabbed Claire’s hand tightly and pulled her toward a stolen motorcycle hidden under a nearby tarp.
“Get on and hold on tight,” he ordered, throwing his leg aggressively over the heavy machine.
Claire wrapped her arms desperately around his solid waist, pressing her face into his warm back.
The motorcycle roared to life, tearing violently out of the alleyway and into the chaotic city traffic.
They wove recklessly between speeding cars, desperately trying to escape the Caldwell family's massive reach.
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As they crossed the heavy steel bridge out of the city, Claire looked back over her shoulder.
Five sleek black SUVs were speeding aggressively behind them, closing the deadly distance with terrifying speed.
