Chapter 5 - Blood on the Marble
I froze as the beam of my flashlight hit the masked man.
He raised a silenced pistol and pointed it directly between my eyes.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the fatal impact.
A loud crack echoed through the basement, but I didn't feel any pain.
I opened my eyes and saw the masked man collapse sideways onto the concrete floor.
Vincent stepped out of the shadows, smoke curling from the barrel of his gun.
He had managed to pry open the heavy basement service door from the inside.
He was clutching his left shoulder, and thick dark blood was soaking through his expensive suit.
"They have the upper floors locked down," Vincent gasped, leaning heavily against the wall.
He handed Mia back to me, and I clutched her as if she were my lifeline.
"We need to move before they sweep the basement," he commanded through gritted teeth.
I supported his weight as we stumbled through the maze of wine racks and storage crates.
He was losing too much blood to fight his way out of this alone.
Vincent stopped and pressed a hidden button behind a shelf of expensive vintage wine.
The brick wall slid open, revealing a hidden armory filled with heavy weapons.
He grabbed a medical kit and a sleek black pistol.
He shoved the loaded gun into my trembling hands.
"I need to stitch this wound, and I cannot hold a gun while I do it," he said.
He looked at me with an intensity that burned right through my fear.
"You have to guard the door, Clara," he told me.
I had never fired a gun in my entire life.
"Shoot the first person who walks through that doorway," he ordered firmly.
I raised the heavy weapon, my hands shaking violently.
"Even if it is Renzo," Vincent added with a dark scowl.
May you like
Heavy boots began marching down the basement stairs.
The wooden door handle slowly began to turn.
