Chapter 11 - The Approaching Storm
Clara slipped the untraceable burner phone back into the deep pocket of her scrubs.
She forced her racing heart to calm down as she walked slowly back toward the stolen muscle car.
Adrian was leaning heavily against the cold metal hood, his eyes closed in absolute exhaustion.
Titan sat loyally at his master's feet, the massive dog’s ears twitching at every distant sound in the night.
Elena remained unconscious on the cracked pavement, a thin line of blood drying on her temple.
Clara approached Adrian and gently checked the crude plastic tube protruding from his windpipe.
"You need a real hospital, Adrian," she whispered, playing the role of the devoted savior one last time.
He opened his dark eyes and looked at her with a vulnerability he had never shown another living soul.
"We cannot trust any hospital in this city," Adrian rasped painfully, gripping her hand.
"Leo owns the police, the judges, and the emergency rooms."
Before Clara could formulate a comforting lie, a pair of bright halogen headlights cut through the darkness of the warehouse.
An armored black SUV rolled silently to a stop at the far end of the deserted parking lot.
Adrian instantly reached for his heavy silver revolver, his combat instincts overriding his massive blood loss.
"Are those Leo's men?" Adrian choked out, pushing himself off the hood of the car.
Clara shook her head, a cold and calculating mask falling over her features.
"No, Adrian, they are not," she replied softly.
The heavy doors of the SUV swung open, and four men dressed in tactical black stepped out into the moonlight.
The man leading them was a towering figure with a heavily scarred face, carrying a suppressed automatic shotgun.
Adrian instantly recognized the giant from the underworld whispers.
It was Marcus, the most ruthless enforcer of the supposedly extinct Morretti syndicate.
Adrian spun around to look at Clara, the profound trust in his eyes shattering into a million jagged pieces.
"You," he whispered in sheer horror, finally understanding the depth of her betrayal.
Clara took a step back, folding her arms across her chest.
"I told you I came to this house to watch you die, Adrian," Clara said coldly.
Marcus racked the heavy slide of his shotgun with a deafening, metallic clack.
He raised the weapon and pointed the wide barrel directly at Adrian's chest.
"Your father sends his regards, Clara," Marcus yelled across the empty lot.
Clara smiled a cold, victorious smile, but that smile vanished the moment Marcus shifted his aim.
May you like
The giant enforcer swung the heavy barrel of the shotgun away from Adrian and pointed it directly at Clara's face.
"He also said there can be no loose ends," Marcus sneered, placing his finger firmly on the trigger.
