Chapter 10 - The Mid-Point Climax
Emma's blood ran entirely cold.
Her mother was sobbing hysterically on the floor.
"Hello, sister," Tessa smiled through the phone screen.
"Don't hurt her, Tessa! Please!" Emma begged.
Adrian snatched the phone from Emma's hands.
His expression was utterly terrifying.
"Listen to me very carefully, Tessa," Adrian said in a dead, hollow tone.
"If you pull that trigger, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and skin you alive."
Tessa laughed loudly.
"You can't hunt me if you're trapped in a bunker, Adrian."
She cocked the hammer of the gun.
Adrian did not blink.
He pressed a button on the safe room console.
"Check your six, little girl," Adrian whispered.
On the video feed, the front window of Emma's parents' house suddenly shattered.
Three of Adrian's elite sniper operatives breached the living room in seconds.
Tessa screamed as she was tackled to the ground.
The gun clattered away across the floor.
One of the operatives picked up the phone.
"Target secured, Boss," the operative confirmed. "The mother is unharmed."
Emma collapsed against the concrete wall in overwhelming relief.
She buried her face in her hands and cried.
Adrian ended the call and tossed the phone onto the desk.
He walked over and pulled Emma into his chest.
His good arm wrapped tightly around her shaking body.
"I told you," he murmured into her hair. "I protect what is mine."
They had won the night.
The syndicate hit had failed, and Tessa was finally in custody.
Emma looked up at her new husband.
He was ruthless, terrifying, and completely devoted to her safety.
She finally felt safe.
"Let me bandage your shoulder," Emma said softly.
She walked over to his discarded tactical bag to grab a thicker gauze pad.
As she pulled the medical supplies out, a heavy leather folder slipped out and hit the floor.
The clasp broke, spilling a set of documents onto the concrete.
Emma knelt to pick them up.
She froze.
It was a bank transfer receipt for five million dollars.
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The recipient was Tessa Bennett.
The memo line, signed in Adrian's handwriting, read: Final payment for the seduction of Cole Marston.
