Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19: THE COCKED HAMMER
Bang.
The gunshot exploded through the foundry, but the bullet didn't hit me.
Santiago gasped, his eyes widening in shock as a bloom of deep crimson erupted from his shoulder. He stumbled backward, his gun clattering to the dirt floor.
From the rusted doorway of the factory, Ricardo Salazar walked in, a smoking colt revolver gripped firmly in his steady hands. Behind him, Marcus Vance and a dozen federal agents poured into the room, tactical lasers painting the dark walls like a spiderweb of red light.
"Step away from my daughter, you piece of garbage," my father roared.
"Ambush!" Isabella screamed, throwing herself behind a steel pillar as Marcus opened fire.
The foundry erupted into chaos. Gunfire rattled off the corrugated iron roof like thunder. Santiago crawled behind a generator, clutching his bleeding shoulder, screaming curses into the air.
I didn't think about the bullets flying past my ears. I looked up at the crane. The gunfire had startled Leo, and his car seat was rocking violently back and forth above the pit of jagged metal.
I sprinted toward the control panel located near the base of the crane.
"Valeria, get down!" Marcus screamed, firing a burst at Isabella’s tactical team.
A hand reached out from the shadows, grabbing my ankle. I crashed hard onto the concrete floor, the skin tearing off my palms. I turned—it was Santiago. His face was smeared with oil and blood, his teeth bared like a rabid animal as he dragged me away from the controls.
"If I'm going back to hell, you're coming with me!" he shrieked, his good hand locking around my throat, cutting off my air.
May you like
I thrashed against him, my vision blurring into black spots. I couldn't breathe. Through the haze, I looked up at the crane. Isabella was retreating toward the back exit, but as she ran, she hit the manual release switch on the wall.
The heavy iron cable began to unravel. The crane line was dropping. Leo was falling.
