Chapter 5 - The Grand Entrance
A deafening barrage of flashbang grenades detonated in the center of the ballroom, blinding everyone with searing white light.
The terrified wedding guests dropped to the flooded marble floor, covering their ears and screaming in absolute terror.
I fell to my knees behind a massive pillar, shielding my pregnant belly from the flying shards of crystal and glass.
Through the thick smoke and chemical foam, figures in heavy black tactical gear rappelled through the shattered windows.
They were not the local police Victoria had paid off.
The bold yellow letters printed across their ballistic vests read "FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION."
"Nobody move!" a booming voice echoed through the ruined hall over a high-powered megaphone.
Mara Voss stepped through the broken terrace doors, holding a tactical rifle and looking like an absolute avenging angel.
Julian Vance wiped chemical foam from his eyes and immediately drew his silver handgun.
"Kill the feds!" Julian screamed to his remaining undercover syndicate guards scattered among the guests.
Gunfire erupted instantly, the loud cracks echoing violently off the high, vaulted ceilings of the vineyard.
I curled into a tight ball as bullets chipped the marble pillar protecting me.
The stress and adrenaline pushed my body past its absolute limit, and a sudden, terrifying pressure built in my pelvis.
The baby was coming right now, in the middle of a literal war zone.
"Mara!" I screamed with all my might, my voice tearing through the chaotic noise.
Mara's head snapped in my direction, her fierce eyes locking onto my bloody, trembling form.
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She signaled two tactical medics to lay down covering fire as she sprinted across the slippery, flooded floor toward me.
Suddenly, Evan lunged out of the smoke, wrapping his arm around my neck and pulling me tightly against his chest as a human shield.
