Chapter 5 - The Sniper's Nest
Julian reacted on pure instinct and tackled Victoria hard to the dusty floorboards.
A high-caliber bullet shattered the concrete wall exactly where her head had just been.
Julian grabbed her arm and dragged her behind a massive overturned desk.
The sniper was perched on the roof of a parking garage directly across the street.
Victoria was hyperventilating as the terrifying reality of her situation finally set in.
She whispered that her entire life of luxury and privilege had been a complete lie.
Julian looked into her tear-filled eyes and firmly told her to focus on surviving the next five minutes.
He pulled a small mirror from his tactical belt and angled it around the edge of the desk.
The reflection showed three armed mercenaries sweeping the hallway outside their office door.
They were trapped between the sniper's crosshairs and the approaching hit squad.
Julian handed Victoria a heavy iron pipe and told her to swing for their knees if they got close.
He pulled his own sidearm and took a deep steadying breath.
He kicked the desk forward to draw the sniper's fire and simultaneously shot at the hallway door.
The heavy wooden door splintered as the mercenaries fired back with automatic weapons.
Julian threw a homemade smoke grenade into the corridor and grabbed Victoria by the waist.
They sprinted through the blinding white smoke and stumbled down the dark emergency stairwell.
They burst out of the building and sprinted down a narrow alleyway slick with rain.
Julian found an old delivery van with the keys still in the ignition and shoved Victoria inside.
He hot-wired the engine just as the mercenaries poured out into the alley behind them.
Gunfire shattered the rear window as Julian slammed his foot heavily on the gas pedal.
The van careened wildly into the midnight traffic leaving their pursuers behind in the dust.
Victoria slumped in the passenger seat and finally let out a long trembling breath.
She reached toward her neck to touch a faint scar hidden beneath her diamond necklace.
She told Julian that she suddenly remembered the smell of pine needles and the cosmos flowers.
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Julian smiled with relief but his expression shattered when he looked down at his own stomach.
Dark red blood was rapidly soaking through his shirt from a bullet wound he hadn't felt.
