Chapter 16 - The Boss Arrives
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The second cartel soldier standing in the hallway never even saw it coming. A large, blood-soaked hand reached out from the darkness, grabbing the man’s tactical vest and jerking him violently backward into the corridor. A sickening crunch echoed, followed by a heavy thud as the body hit the marble floor.
Richard spun around in panic.
Gabriel Salvatore stepped into the doorway of the panic room.
He was a terrifying vision of absolute violence. His tactical vest was shredded, his white shirt soaked in blood that wasn't his own. His face was smeared with soot, and his dark eyes burned with an apocalyptic, murderous fury.
He looked at Richard pointing a gun at Clare and his children.
Gabriel didn't monologue. He didn't ask questions or demand a surrender. He simply raised his assault rifle with one hand and fired a single, deafening shot.
The bullet struck Richard in the shoulder, spinning him violently around and throwing him against the concrete wall of the bunker. The revolver flew from his hand, clattering harmlessly into the corner.
Richard screamed in agony, clutching his shattered shoulder as he slid to the floor, leaving a streak of blood against the gray wall.
Gabriel stepped fully into the room, lowering his rifle. He looked at Clare, taking in her trembling hands, the smoking pistol she held, and the fierce, protective stance over Maya and Leo.
“Are you hurt?” Gabriel rasped, his chest heaving with exhaustion and adrenaline.
“We’re okay,” Clare gasped, dropping the gun and collapsing to her knees, pulling Maya into her arms as she finally let the tears fall.
Gabriel turned his cold, dead eyes to the bleeding man on the floor.
“Please,” Richard whimpered, scrambling backward until he was trapped in the corner. “Gabriel, wait! I was just trying to get my family back! The Navarros forced me to give them the codes!”
“You brought a cartel into my home,” Gabriel said, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that promised no mercy. “You aimed a weapon at the mother of my son.”
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Gabriel drew a sleek combat knife from his tactical belt. He walked slowly toward Richard, his face devoid of all humanity. He wasn't a businessman anymore. He was the devil himself, executing a sentence.
Clare covered Maya’s eyes, burying the little girl’s face in her chest, hiding her from the brutal, bloody reality of the man they loved.
