Chapter 14 - The Stand
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Mara couldn't stay in the box. The sound of Rafe’s pained voice overrode every ounce of self-preservation she had left.
She hit the emergency release button. The heavy steel door popped open, and the smell of cordite, smoke, and blood rushed into her lungs.
The penthouse was a war zone. The mahogany desk was splintered into a hundred pieces. Bullet holes riddled the beautiful silk wallpaper. Three of Vance's hitmen lay dead on the Persian rug.
Leo was slumped against the wall, clutching a bleeding shoulder, firing his weapon down the hallway to keep the remaining attackers pinned.
Rafe’s wheelchair was overturned. He was lying on the floor behind the ruined desk, his gun still in his hand, breathing heavily.
"Rafe!" Mara screamed, sprinting across the room, completely ignoring the danger.
She slid to her knees beside him. "Are you hit? Are you hit?!"
"I’m fine, just knocked out of the chair," Rafe grunted, grabbing her arm. "I told you to stay in the room, damn it!"
Before she could answer, a shadow broke through the smoke near the entrance.
It was Sylvia’s father, Don Vance himself, holding a shotgun. He had bypassed the firefight in the hall, slipping into the suite to finish the job personally.
He saw Rafe on the floor, vulnerable and seemingly helpless.
"You embarrassed my daughter, Cordell," Vance snarled, racking the shotgun with a terrifying, metallic clack. "Now you die on the floor like the crippled dog you are."
Vance raised the shotgun, aiming it directly at Rafe’s chest.
Mara didn't think. She threw her body entirely over Rafe’s, shielding him with her own flesh. She closed her eyes, waiting for the blast that would end her life.
But Rafe Cordell wasn't a crippled dog anymore.
With a roar of pure, demonic rage, Rafe didn't just push Mara aside. He used the edge of the ruined desk for leverage. His legs, fueled by a terrifying surge of adrenaline and a desperate need to protect the woman he loved, locked into place.
Rafe stood up.
Vance’s eyes widened in absolute, paralyzing shock at the sight of the paralyzed king rising to his feet. He hesitated for a fraction of a second.
That was all Rafe needed.
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Rafe raised his handgun and fired three rapid shots perfectly into Vance’s chest.
The Miami boss collapsed backward, dead before he hit the ground.
