Chapter 5 - Blood on the Canvas
Elias coughed up blood, his eyes darting desperately around the empty room.
Madeline realized her trusted mentor had sold her out to the mob.
The hitman cocked his gun, losing his patience.
Madeline knew she could not let a man die for her, even if he was a traitor.
She grabbed a heavy bronze statue from a nearby side table.
With all her remaining strength, she hurled it directly at the hitman's head.
The bronze crashed into his skull, sending him sprawling to the floor.
Elias scrambled away, shouting for her to run.
Madeline did not wait to see if the assassin got back up.
She sprinted out of the library, navigating the maze of hallways toward the kitchen.
She found a service door and threw her shoulder against it, bursting out into the freezing storm.
The snow was waist-deep, slowing her desperate escape into the dark woods.
She pushed through the pain, finally reaching the edge of an empty rural highway.
Headlights pierced the darkness, and she waved her arms frantically at an approaching pickup truck.
The truck skidded to a halt on the icy asphalt.
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The driver rolled down the window, and the interior light illuminated his face.
It was Enzo, Dominic Valente’s ruthless right-hand man.
