Chapter 7 - The Sniper
Clara saw the glowing red dot on Matteo's chest just a fraction of a second before the shot rang out.
She lunged forward, shoving Matteo with all the strength she had left in her exhausted body.
The high-caliber sniper bullet tore through the sleeve of Matteo's overcoat instead of piercing his heart.
He hit the snow hard, rolling instantly to his feet with his weapon drawn.
"Get down!" Matteo roared, grabbing Clara and Lily and dragging them behind the armored SUV.
The heavy thud of bullets striking the bulletproof metal of the car echoed through the freezing night.
Bianca had not just burned the house; she had set a lethal ambush waiting for them to arrive.
Bruno crouched low to the ground, his teeth bared in the direction of the dark tree line.
Matteo blindly fired several rounds toward the woods, trying to force the sniper to keep their head down.
"We cannot stay here, they will flank us," Matteo told Clara, his voice remarkably calm.
He pointed to a dense cluster of pine trees fifty yards away.
"When I give the signal, you and Lily run to those trees and do not look back," he ordered.
"I will not leave you here to die," Clara fiercely replied.
Matteo looked at her, his dark eyes filled with a fierce, undeniable affection.
"You are going to live, Clara, because I am not giving Bianca the satisfaction of killing my family," he said.
He considered Clara his family now.
Before she could argue, Matteo pulled a smoke grenade from his tactical belt and pulled the pin.
He hurled the canister into the snow, creating a thick, blinding wall of white smoke.
"Go!" Matteo screamed.
Clara grabbed Lily's hand and sprinted blindly toward the tree line.
Bruno ran beside them, acting as a massive, moving shield against the incoming fire.
They reached the safety of the trees just as the smoke began to clear.
Clara turned around to look for Matteo, her heart lodged firmly in her throat.
Matteo was not running toward the trees.
He was walking deliberately toward the sniper's position, firing his weapon with deadly precision.
He was drawing all the enemy fire directly onto himself so Clara could escape.
Clara watched in absolute horror as a bullet struck Matteo in the shoulder, spinning him around.
He fell to his knees in the bloodstained snow, entirely surrounded by emerging armed men.
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Bianca stepped out from the shadows of the woods, holding a silver pistol.
She aimed the gun directly at the back of Matteo's head and smiled.
