Chapter 8 - The Ultimate Sacrifice
Time seemed to slow down to a horrifying crawl.
Eli stared down the dark barrel of Vanessa's gun, unable to move a single muscle.
"No!" both Laura and Richard screamed in unison.
A gunshot rang out, echoing endlessly through the massive church.
Eli squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the burning pain to hit her.
But the pain never came.
She opened her eyes and saw her father collapsing to the marble floor.
Richard had thrown his entire body in front of the bullet meant for his daughter.
Blood began to pool around his white tuxedo jacket.
"Dad!" Eli shrieked, scrambling out from under the pew to reach him.
Laura let out a primal scream of sheer rage.
She didn't hesitate for another fraction of a second.
Laura fired a single, precise shot that struck Vanessa straight in the shoulder.
The bride dropped her weapon and collapsed in a heap of tangled white fabric.
Within seconds, heavily armed FBI SWAT teams burst through every door in the sanctuary.
They swarmed the cartel members, pinning the fake groomsmen to the ground.
Laura ignored the chaos and slid to her knees beside Richard and Eli.
She pressed her hands frantically against his bleeding chest.
"Stay with me, Richard, please don't leave me again," Laura sobbed.
Richard smiled weakly, reaching up with a shaking hand to touch Laura's face.
May you like
"You're really here," he whispered softly before his eyes rolled back in his head.
The paramedics rushed into the room with a stretcher, violently pushing Eli and Laura aside.
