Chapter 7 - In the Line of Fire
Everything happened in a blur of terrifying motion.
“Emma, down!” Nathaniel roared.
Before Christian could squeeze the trigger, Nathaniel threw himself in front of Emma, drawing his own weapon in a single fluid motion. A gunshot exploded inside the concrete warehouse, the sound deafening.
Nathaniel returned fire instantly, striking Christian in the shoulder and sending the gun spinning across the slick concrete floor. Christian collapsed with a scream of agony, clutching his arm as his hired contractors, realizing the feds were already closing in, threw their weapons down and bolted toward the rear loading bays.
Nathaniel stood tall for two seconds, his weapon steady, scanning the perimeter to ensure the threat was eliminated. Then, with a sickening shudder, his knees buckled.
Emma screamed. She lunged forward, catching him as he fell, his massive weight dragging them both down to the cold warehouse floor.
Blood was pouring freely from his side, staining his white shirt a terrifying, brilliant crimson. The first bullet from Christian’s gun had caught him in the lower abdomen.
“Nathaniel! No, no, no!” Emma sobbed, ripping off her silk scarf and pressing it violently against the wound. “Stay with me! Look at me, Nathaniel!”
Nathaniel coughed, a line of red trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his dark eyes remained locked on hers. He weakly lifted a blood-stained hand, his trembling fingers cupping her cheek.
“You’re safe...” he whispered, his voice shallow, rattling in his chest. “Did he... did he hurt you?”
“You idiot!” she cried, tears spilling over her cheeks and splashing onto his pale face. “You took a bullet for me! Stop talking about me! Help! Somebody call an ambulance!”
Footsteps pounded across the concrete. Dean Foster and a squad of federal agents burst through the main bay doors, weapons raised, shouting commands. Dean took one look at the scene, slammed his radio, and screamed for field medics.
Nathaniel’s eyelids fluttered, his grip on her cheek slipping.
“Emma...” he rasped, his voice barely audible beneath the blare of approaching sirens. “I love you... I’ve loved you since... the day you walked into my office...”
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“Don't you dare die on me, Nathaniel Kane!” Emma screamed, leaning down, pressing her forehead against his, her tears mixing with the blood on his chest. “You hear me? You forced me to sign that contract! You owe me ten years! Don't you dare leave me!”
His hand went limp against the concrete, and his eyes slid shut into darkness.
