Chapter 9 - The Ultimate Sacrifice
Thomas Ashford stood comfortably in a tailored cashmere coat, a smug, victorious smile plastered permanently on his aristocratic face.
Camilla stood closely beside him, happily clutching a brand new, expensive leather riding crop in her manicured hand.
"This is the end of the line for you, Enzo," Thomas called out loudly, his men aggressively aiming assault rifles directly at the drenched pair.
"You actually thought you could crawl away through the mud and survive this night," Thomas mocked cruelly.
Enzo stood remarkably tall despite his painful injuries, stepping bravely in front of Adeline to shield her from the sniper lasers.
"Let the girl walk away completely untouched, Thomas," Enzo demanded firmly, his commanding voice echoing across the dark water.
"She is just an innocent maid and has absolutely nothing to do with our ongoing war," Enzo lied to protect her.
Camilla laughed bitterly, stepping forward to look down at her ruined, shivering romantic rival.
"She ruined my perfect engagement party in front of my elite friends, so she definitely dies first," Camilla spat with venomous hatred.
Enzo slowly reached down and dropped his completely empty handgun deliberately into the thick mud.
He raised both of his strong hands in a universal gesture of total, unconditional surrender.
"I will gladly give you my entire empire and my life in exchange for her guaranteed freedom," Enzo bargained, looking Thomas dead in the eye.
Adeline stared at Enzo's broad back, her heavy heart pounding with a strange, overwhelmingly fierce emotional warmth.
The most dangerous man in the city was voluntarily giving up absolutely everything for a woman he barely knew.
Thomas sneered in utter disgust and confidently raised his right hand to signal the brutal, immediate execution.
"I am truly sorry, Enzo, but I greatly prefer a totally clean sweep," Thomas declared ruthlessly.
"Fire at will," Thomas ordered his men.
May you like
Adeline quickly reached deep into her soaked pocket and pressed a small, hidden button on a waterproof satellite transponder.
The dark sky directly above them suddenly roared to life with the deafening, terrifying sound of heavy military helicopter rotors.
