Chapter 6 - The Blood in the Snow
Claire gripped the sharp glass tightly, ignoring the way it sliced into her own palm.
She sawed desperately at the thick zip-ties binding her wrists behind the wooden chair.
Marcus was too busy gloating at Roman to notice her subtle, frantic movements.
"Any last words, Roman?" Marcus asked, enjoying his moment of absolute power.
"Yeah," Roman replied coldly. "Duck."
With a sudden, violent snap, the plastic ties around Claire's wrists finally broke free.
She lunged upward, driving the jagged piece of glass deep into Marcus's thigh.
Marcus screamed in agony, dropping the revolver as his leg buckled beneath him.
Roman dove across the concrete floor just as the sniper in the loft opened fire.
The high-caliber bullet shattered the concrete exactly where Roman had been standing a fraction of a second earlier.
Roman scooped up his discarded pistol and fired three rapid shots into the dark loft.
A heavy body crashed through the wooden railing and plummeted to the garage floor, dead on impact.
Vivian shrieked in terror and ran blindly out the side door into the raging blizzard.
Marcus pulled the glass from his leg, blood pouring down his trousers.
He scrambled toward the open garage door, dragging his injured leg desperately through the snow.
Roman raised his weapon to finish the traitor, but Claire suddenly collapsed coughing onto the freezing floor.
Roman instantly dropped his aim and rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms.
"Are you hit?" he asked frantically, checking her for bullet wounds.
"No, I am just so cold," she shivered violently, her lips turning blue again.
Roman took off his suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around her trembling shoulders.
He watched Marcus disappear into the blinding white storm, knowing the traitor would not survive long on foot.
Roman helped Claire stand up, wrapping his arm securely around her waist to support her weight.
Suddenly, his encrypted phone began to ring loudly from his pocket.
He answered it, expecting his security team, but a cold, unfamiliar voice spoke instead.
May you like
"Marcus told us to secure the collateral, Mr. DeLuca."
"We are standing in Lily's hospital room in Connecticut right now, and she is incredibly vulnerable."
