Chapter 6 - Fire and Blood
The high of the gala vanished two hours later on the rain-slicked highway heading north toward the estate.
Chloe sat in the back of the armored SUV, her hand held securely in Victor’s grip. Frank was driving, his eyes constantly darting to the rearview mirror.
“We’ve got two black sedans tailing us from the highway exit, boss,” Frank said calmly, his hand dropping to the heavy pistol holstered beneath his jacket. “Valenti’s men. They aren't trying to hide.”
Victor didn't panic. He reached into the side compartment of the door, pulled out a sleek black handgun, clicked the safety off, and handed it to Chloe.
Chloe gasped, staring at the cold steel. “Victor, I don't know how to use that!”
“Point the end away from you and pull the trigger if someone opens that door who isn't me or Frank,” Victor said sternly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Keep your head down.”
Before she could answer, a loud, deafening crash rattled the SUV.
One of the black sedans had rammed their rear bumper! The SUV swerved wildly across the icy pavement before Frank regained control, slamming his foot on the accelerator.
“They’re shooting!” Frank yelled as sparks erupted from the bulletproof side windows.
Victor pulled Chloe down toward the floorboards, shielding her entire body with his broad frame. The smell of copper, leather, and gunpowder filled the cabin.
“Frank! Take the side trail through the ravine!” Victor ordered over the roar of the engine.
The SUV veered sharply off the main road, crashing through the wooden gates of a private estate trail. The tires spun on the ice, but the heavy vehicle plowed forward into the dense, dark woods.
Behind them, the rival sedans followed, their high beams cutting through the freezing rain.
“We’re taking out their tires!” Frank roared, rolling down his window slightly and firing three heavy rounds into the trailing car. The lead pursuit vehicle blew a tire, swerving violently off the path and slamming into an ancient oak tree in an explosion of metal and glass.
But the second sedan pressed on, closing the distance.
Victor looked down at Chloe. She was trembling beneath him, her eyes wide with terror, but she hadn't screamed once. She was holding the gun tightly, her small hands locked around the grip.
“Chloe,” Victor whispered, his face inches from hers in the dark, chaotic cabin. “Look at me.”
She met his gaze.
“I will not let them touch you,” he swore, his dark eyes burning with absolute, terrifying devotion. “Do you hear me? You are mine. Nothing in this world gets through me to get to you.”
“I trust you,” she sobbed softly.
Victor kissed her.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was hard, possessive, and fierce, tasting of rain, adrenaline, and raw passion. It burned through the fear in her blood, replacing it with a wild, intoxicating heat.
When he pulled back, Victor opened his door as Frank slammed the brakes near a narrow bridge crossing a frozen creek.
Victor stepped out into the freezing night, standing tall in his formal tuxedo like a dark god of war. He raised his weapon, firing four precise, lethal shots through the windshield of the approaching sedan.
The car veered wildly, plunging off the side of the narrow bridge and crashing through the thick ice into the black, churning waters of the creek below.
Silence descended over the woods, broken only by the sound of the idling SUV engine and the hiss of freezing rain against hot metal.
Victor walked back to the vehicle, his face pale, his breath misting in the freezing air. He climbed back into the cabin, tossed his empty weapon onto the seat, and immediately pulled Chloe back into his arms, burying his face in her neck.
“It’s over,” he rasped, his powerful body shaking slightly with the aftershocks of lethal adrenaline. “It’s over, Bennett.”
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Chloe wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding him with all the strength she possessed. She knew he was a dangerous man. She knew he killed without hesitation to protect his kingdom.
But as she felt his heart hammering wildly against her chest, she knew with absolute certainty that this monster was hers.
