Chapter 3 - The Blackout
At precisely 9:42 PM, the chamber orchestra concluded a Vivaldi concerto with a flourishing bow.
Applause rippled through the grand hall, guests raising their glasses to toast the gallery’s fall season.
Then, without a single flicker of warning, every light in the building died.
The cavernous ballroom plunged into absolute, suffocating darkness.
Gasps and nervous laughter erupted from the crowd, followed by the sound of shattered champagne flutes on the marble floor.
"Please remain calm, ladies and gentlemen!" an announcer’s voice shouted from the far stage. "Our emergency backup generators will—"
The voice was cut short as a loud mechanical pop resonated from the electrical room below.
The emergency exit signs flickered once and died completely.
A cold, heavy draft swept through the darkness as the exterior terrace doors were kicked open.
"Stay still, Iris," Rafe’s voice rumbled right against my ear, his arm wrapping around my waist like a steel band.
Before I could answer, a rough hand reached out from the pitch-black shadows, grabbing my bare shoulder with bruising force.
A second set of gloved fingers closed violently around the platinum diamonds at my throat, twisting the metal until it cut into my skin.
"Let go of it, bitch!" a harsh, raspy voice hissed into the dark.
I cried out in pain, my hands flying up to protect the necklace.
In that fraction of a second, the world seemed to erupt in violent, surgical motion.
Rafe didn't hesitate.
His left arm hoisted me completely off my feet, pulling me flush against his broad chest, shielding my torso with his own body.
His right hand shot forward into the darkness like a striking viper.
A sickening, wet crunch of shattered bone echoed inches from my face, followed by a choked, agonized scream.
The fingers clawing at my throat vanished instantly.
A heavy body slammed onto the marble floor with a dull, concussive thud, groaning in sheer agony.
Two more figures lunged through the darkness, their boots squeaking against the polished stone.
"Take the big guy!" one yelled, the faint glint of a steel blade catching the moonlight through the high windows.
Rafe didn't even flinch.
He moved with an impossible, terrifying grace, pivoting his hips while keeping me firmly cradled in his left arm.
He delivered a devastating palm strike to the first attacker’s sternum, sending the man flying backward into the ice sculpture.
The sculpture shattered with a deafening crash, showering the floor in jagged ice and freezing water.
The second attacker lunged with his knife, aiming straight for Rafe’s ribs.
Rafe caught the man’s wrist mid-air, twisting the joint with brutal, effortless leverage until the steel blade clattered onto the floor.
With a single, fluid motion, Rafe slammed the man's head into the marble pillar beside us, knocking him instantly unconscious.
Three trained mercenaries had been dismantled in less than eight seconds.
I stood trembling against Rafe's chest, my hands clutching his lapels, my breath coming in ragged, terrified gasps.
"Iris," Rafe murmured, his voice gentle and steady amidst the chaos. "Are you hurt?"
"I... I don't think so," I stammered, feeling his heart beating strong, slow, and completely calm beneath his shirt.
"The necklace?"
He reached up, his warm fingertips lightly brushing my collarbone, tracing the diamonds to ensure every stone was intact.
"Still here, sweetheart," he whispered, his thumb gently caressing the soft curve of my cheek. "You're safe."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the ballroom burst open.
Four men carrying high-powered tactical flashlights swept into the room, their beams cutting through the dark like searchlights.
They weren't wearing gallery security uniforms.
They wore tailored dark tactical suits with carbon-fiber plates and communication headsets.
The lead operator swept his flashlight across the shattered ice sculpture, past the three unconscious thieves, and locked onto Rafe.
The operator lowered his weapon instantly, snapping to attention and bowing his head.
"Boss!" the man barked with absolute, reverent deference.
"The perimeter is secured! The Vance kid is in custody in the basement!"
I froze.
My hands went completely still on Rafe’s chest.
"Boss?" I repeated, my voice barely audible above the rising panic in the ballroom.
Rafe looked down at me, a mixture of regret and raw, unmasked tenderness flashing across his striking features.
May you like
"Iris," he said softly.
"I believe there is a slight clarification we need to make regarding my hourly rate."
