Chapter 11 - The Extraction
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A sleek, black helicopter crested the edge of the building, its massive spotlight snapping on, pinning the hitman in a blinding circle of harsh white light.
The hitman froze, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the glare.
Before he could aim his weapon at the chopper, the rooftop access door burst open again.
Rafe Santangelo strode onto the roof. He wasn't wearing a suit. He wore a dark tactical jacket, a heavy, customized pistol raised perfectly steady in his hands.
"Drop it," Rafe commanded, his voice carrying effortlessly over the roar of the helicopter blades.
The hitman panicked. He realized he was caught between a mafia boss and an aerial sniper. Desperate, he swung his gun toward Rafe.
Rafe didn't hesitate. He fired twice.
The suppressed shots were muffled by the wind, but the impact was devastating. The hitman dropped his weapon, clutching his chest as he collapsed onto the gravel, dead before the helicopter even touched down.
Rafe didn't look at the body. He holstered his weapon and sprinted toward the HVAC units, frantically searching the shadows.
"Billy!" Rafe yelled, pure, unadulterated panic bleeding into his voice for the first time.
Billy stood up slowly from behind the metal unit, her entire body shaking violently.
When Rafe saw her, he closed the distance in three massive strides, pulling her fiercely into his arms. He crushed her against his chest, burying his face in her hair, his heart hammering wildly against her own.
"I've got you," Rafe murmured fiercely, his breath hot against her freezing skin. "You are safe. I swear to God, you are safe."
Billy didn't pull away. She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his jacket, letting the tears fall freely. The man who had been the phantom villain of her sister’s story was now holding her as if she were the most precious thing in his violent world.
"We need to leave," Rafe said gently, pulling back slightly to look into her tear-streaked face. "The police will be here soon. My men will clean this up."
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He guided her toward the waiting helicopter, keeping his body positioned between her and the fallen hitman. As they lifted off into the night sky, leaving the flashing police sirens far below, Billy realized that the war wasn't just about fashion anymore.
She was officially a part of his empire.
