Chapter 8 - The Distraction
"Let him go," I screamed, stepping forward before Viktor could pull me back.
"This has nothing to do with Daniel!"
The courier laughed, a nervous, jagged sound that echoed in the empty marble lobby.
"He was in the restaurant when you left with the boss, Mara," the courier sneered.
"Pierce ordered us to tie up all loose ends."
I looked at Daniel, seeing the raw fear in a man who had only ever cared about wine lists and reservations.
I couldn't let him die because of me.
"You have the document," Viktor said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he lowered his weapon.
"You don't need the manager."
The courier shook his head, tightening his grip on Daniel's throat.
"Pierce wants you dead, Viktor, and he promised me a million dollars to bring him your head."
I slowly let my eyes drift away from the gun and scan the lobby.
Ten feet to my right, mounted on a beautiful mahogany pillar, was a heavy red fire extinguisher.
"A million dollars is a cheap price for treason," Viktor taunted, taking a slow, deliberate step to the left.
He was drawing the courier's attention away from me.
"Pierce will own the entire city in exactly sixty seconds," the courier bragged.
I didn't hesitate for another fraction of a second.
I lunged to my right, grabbed the fire extinguisher from its bracket, and hurled it directly at the courier's head.
The heavy metal tank flew through the air and slammed violently into the courier's shoulder.
He cried out in pain, dropping his weapon and stumbling backward.
Daniel dropped to the floor, gasping for air.
Viktor moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance in two massive strides.
He grabbed the courier by the collar and drove a brutal punch into the traitor's jaw.
The courier collapsed to the marble floor, completely unconscious.
Viktor quickly searched the man's pockets and pulled out a thick, sealed envelope bearing his family's crest.
"I have it," Viktor announced, his chest heaving.
"Daniel, are you okay?" I asked, dropping to my knees beside my manager.
"I am quitting," Daniel choked out, coughing violently.
"I am officially resigning right now."
Suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the bank burst open.
A dozen men in perfectly tailored black suits stormed into the lobby, heavily armed and moving with military precision.
I froze, fully expecting a hail of bullets to end our lives.
But the men lowered their weapons when they saw Viktor holding the envelope.
"Boss," the lead man said, bowing his head slightly.
"We came to escort you to the council meeting."
May you like
Viktor looked at the men, then slowly leaned down and whispered directly into my ear.
"Do not trust a single one of them," Viktor breathed.
