Chapter 9 - THE BULLET INTENDED FOR A KING|
Time seemed to slow down into agonizing, distinct frames.
The assassin’s finger was tightening over the trigger. Sergio was still talking, blocking Adrien’s view. The music from the string quartet bounced blithely off the mirrored walls.
Elena didn't think. She didn't calculate the consequences.
"Adrien!" she screamed.
She lunged forward, throwing her entire body weight against Adrien’s chest, shoving him violently sideways onto the polished marble floor.
PHFFT!
A suppressed gunshot coughed through the hall.
The high-caliber round missed Adrien’s skull by an inch, ripping through the heavy velvet of Elena’s dress and grazing deep across her right collarbone.
Blood spattered warm and bright across Adrien’s white dress shirt.
Chaos exploded through the ballroom. Women screamed, glasses shattered, and security guards pulled automatic weapons from their coats.
"Down!" Adrien roared, rolling over to cover Elena’s body with his own, his large frame shielding her from the mezzanine.
He pulled a dark custom pistol from his shoulder holster, fired three rapid shots up into the balcony without hesitation. The sniper crashed over the brass railing, plunging twenty feet down onto a banquet table below.
"Elena!" Adrien barked, sliding his hands under her head.
His silver eyes were wide with a rare, terrifying panic as he saw the bright crimson blood soaking through her black velvet dress.
"I'm... I'm okay," she gasped, her face draining of color as the burning pain shot up her neck.
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Adrien scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing, ignoring his capos who swarmed around him with raised guns.
"Clear the exit!" Adrien bellowed, his voice echoing over the panic. "If she dies, I will execute every single man in this room!"
