Chapter 8 - The Price of Loyalty
""Stay behind the counter,"" Gideon instructed in a calm, lethal whisper, clicking off the weapon’s safety. ""Get down on the floor, Evie. Now.""
""Gideon, there are too many of them!"" she gasped, fear gripping her throat as she lowered herself behind the reinforced oak cabinetry.
""They won't touch you,"" he said. He didn't look back, but his posture radiated an immovable wall of steel. ""They will have to step over my corpse before a single one of them enters this room.""
Gunfire shattered the coastal peace.
Bullets tore through the front porch windows, showering the living room in shards of glass. The roar of automatic rifles echoed against the bluff. Gideon fired back through the window frame with terrifying precision, two controlled shots dropping the first assailant coming up the wooden steps.
From the tree line, Hayes and Gideon’s security detail returned fire, engaging the secondary vehicle. But the ambushing force had the advantage of surprise.
A heavy boot kicked the wooden back door open.
A tall man in tactical gear entered the kitchen, raising a shotgun directly toward the cabinet where Evelyn hid.
Evelyn didn't hesitate. Grabbing a heavy cast-iron skillet from the low shelf, she used the edge of the counter to hoist herself onto her feet, screaming as she swung the iron with all the force of her torso directly into the man’s knee.
Bone cracked. The assailant roared in pain, dropping to one knee as his shotgun blast tore harmlessly into the ceiling plaster.
Before he could recover, Gideon cleared the corner. A single shot rang out, and the intruder slumped motionless to the floor.
Gideon turned, his eyes wild with terror as he saw Evelyn standing against the counter, her knuckles white, her breath ragged.
""Evelyn!""
Suddenly, the front door frame splintered.
Julian Vance, the disinherited scion of the cartel, stepped through the smoke, his automatic pistol raised. His face was twisted in a manic grin of desperation.
""Vale!"" Vance screamed, firing wildly.
Gideon didn't look for cover. He didn't drop to the floor.
He threw himself directly over Evelyn, wrapping his broad back and shoulders entirely around her and their unborn child, turning his body into a human shield.
Two sickening thuds tore through the room.
Gideon groaned, a sharp intake of breath escaping his lips as two rounds struck his upper back and shoulder. Yet, he did not fall. He kept his feet planted, shielding Evelyn with every ounce of his will, raising his own weapon under his arm and firing three successive rounds.
Vance collapsed backward out the doorway, landing lifeless on the rain-soaked porch.
Silence fell over the cottage. Outside, the final shouts of security officers neutralized the remaining perimeter threats.
""Gideon!"" Evelyn cried, catching him as his massive weight suddenly slumped forward.
Her legs burned, muscles screaming under the strain, but she held him. She sank down to the floor with him, pulling his head into her lap. Crimson blood soaked through his dark suit, staining her hands and her pale dress.
""Gideon! Look at me!"" she sobbed, pressing her hands against the wound on his shoulder. ""Hayes! Somebody help us!""
Gideon looked up at her through half-lidded eyes. A faint, bloody smile touched his lips. He lifted one trembling hand, his bloody fingers gently resting against the curve of her pregnant belly.
""You're safe,"" he whispered, coughing weakly. ""Both of you... safe.""
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""Don't you dare close your eyes!"" Evelyn wept, her tears washing the blood from his cheek. ""You hear me, Gideon Vale? You survived that fire six years ago! You don't get to die now! Not when you still owe me a lifetime!""
Gideon’s eyes fluttered, his fingers tightening weakly on her dress. ""A lifetime... I will pay it... gladly.""
