Chapter 9 - The Ambush
The revelation struck Roman like a physical blow to the chest.
His own luxury penthouse in the city center had been compromised for an entire month.
Roman dropped the bleeding detective to the pavement in absolute disgust.
He realized his entire security detail at the high-rise must have been bought by Julian.
I hugged Lily tightly, trying to calm her frantic, terrified sobbing.
I asked her how Vance had managed to kidnap her all the way from California.
Lily stammered, explaining that Vance had sent her a fake text message from my phone.
The message claimed I was in the hospital and needed her to fly to Boston immediately.
My blood boiled with a blinding hatred for the man groveling on the wet concrete.
Roman turned his back on Vance, pulling out his encrypted phone to call his remaining loyal enforcers.
It was a fatal tactical error.
Vance pulled a hidden, secondary ankle holster revolver from his soaked trousers.
He aimed the small weapon directly at the center of Roman’s broad back.
I did not have time to shout a warning.
I raised the compact pistol Roman had given me and pulled the trigger twice.
The recoil snapped my wrists back, and the deafening sound echoed across the empty harbor.
Vance dropped the revolver, clutching his chest before collapsing motionless onto the wet pier.
I stood completely frozen, staring at the smoking gun in my trembling hands.
I had just taken a human life.
Roman slowly turned around, looking at Vance’s lifeless body, and then at me.
He walked over, gently took the gun from my frozen fingers, and engaged the safety.
He told me softly that I had just saved his life, and he would never let the law touch me for it.
We rushed back to the armored sedan, loading Lily and Titan safely into the backseat.
Roman sped away from the harbor, navigating the dark streets toward his downtown high-rise.
He told me we were going to end the war tonight, right in his own living room.
We breached the private garage of the towering glass skyscraper, moving with lethal silence.
Roman led us to a hidden maintenance elevator that bypassed the compromised lobby security.
We rode the elevator to the top floor, stepping out into the opulent, silent penthouse hallway.
Roman kicked open the heavy mahogany double doors of his own home.
Julian was sitting casually on a white leather sofa, pouring a glass of expensive red wine.
Julian smiled warmly at his brother and raised his glass in a mock toast.
May you like
But Julian was not alone in the room.
Sitting in an armchair across from Julian was the supposedly dead police commissioner.
