Chapter 18 - Blood and Bandages
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I returned fire blindly into the dark alley, the muzzle flash of my Glock illuminating the torrential rain. I didn't wait to see if I hit anyone. I scrambled backward, using the rusted metal dumpster for cover as I bolted toward the narrow exit of the alleyway.
Two men in dark tactical gear stepped out from the street corner, blocking my path. They raised their submachine guns. I threw myself to the wet pavement just as they opened fire, the concrete exploding into shards around me. I fired two precise shots from the ground. One man dropped, clutching his knee; the other dove behind a parked car.
Pain flared in my left shoulder—a grazing bullet had torn through my coat and sliced my flesh. Ignoring the burning agony, I scrambled to my feet and sprinted into the chaotic city traffic, losing myself in the crowd of night-shift workers and blinding headlights.
By the time I reached the black-site bunker two hours later, I was drenched in rain, blood, and exhaustion.
The heavy steel door of the safehouse unlocked, and Silas pulled me inside, his eyes immediately dropping to my bleeding shoulder.
"You're sloppy, Julian," Silas grunted, locking the reinforced door behind me. "You went looking for a rat and found a viper's nest."
"Julian!"
Mara ran down the concrete hallway, her face pale with horror as she saw the blood soaking my shirt. She didn't scream or cry. Instead, the steel resolve of her father's bloodline took over. She grabbed my uninjured arm and guided me toward the bunker's medical bay.
"Sit down," she ordered, grabbing a first-aid kit, scissors, and a bottle of antiseptic.
"Mara, I'm fine, it's just a graze," I winced as she cut away the ruined fabric of my shirt.
"Shut up," she said fiercely, her hands surprisingly steady as she examined the wound. She poured the burning antiseptic over the gash. I hissed in pain, gripping the edge of the metal table.
"He set a trap," I breathed heavily, watching her expertly bandage my shoulder. "Grigori was bait. Victor knew I would come looking for him. He wanted to take me off the board early."
Mara finished tying the bandage and looked up into my eyes. Her hands were covered in my blood.
"Then we change the rules of the game," she said coldly. "He wants the Ledger, Julian. He wants his billions back. We aren't going to hide anymore. We are going to use the one thing he wants to drag him out into the light."
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"Mara, it's too dangerous—"
"I am a mother defending her children," she interrupted, leaning in close. "I am already the most dangerous thing in this city. Tell me where you hid the Ledger."
