Chapter 5 - The Carriage House
Claire was tied securely to a wooden chair, her face bruised and her eyes wide with terror.
"Drop the weapon, Roman," Marcus repeated, pressing the barrel harder against her skin.
Roman slowly lowered his pistol and dropped it onto the cold concrete floor.
He kicked the weapon away, raising his hands to show he was completely unarmed.
"You are making a massive mistake, Marcus," Roman said, keeping his voice dangerously calm.
"The only mistake I made was letting you lead this family for the last ten years," Marcus sneered.
Vivian stepped out from the shadows of a vintage Rolls-Royce, wearing a thick fur coat.
"My father and Marcus made a deal months ago, Roman," she smiled wickedly.
"With you gone, our two families will merge and control the entire eastern seaboard."
Roman looked at his fiancée with utter disgust.
"You really think a traitor like him will ever stay loyal to you, Vivian?" Roman asked.
Marcus laughed, a harsh, grating sound that echoed off the high ceiling.
"She doesn't need my loyalty, she just needs my trigger finger."
Marcus cocked the hammer of the heavy revolver, aiming it squarely at Roman's chest.
"Say goodbye to your empire, boss."
Before Marcus could pull the trigger, a red laser sight suddenly appeared perfectly on the center of Roman's forehead.
"You didn't think I would handle this without a backup plan, did you?" Marcus mocked.
"My best sniper has you locked in from the loft above."
Roman did not move a single muscle, calculating his incredibly slim odds of survival.
He looked directly into Claire's tear-filled eyes and gave her a very subtle, almost imperceptible nod.
May you like
Claire understood exactly what he needed her to do.
She slowly reached her bound hands toward the jagged piece of broken glass she had secretly hidden in her sleeve.
