Chapter 6 - Blood In The Glass Tower
Julian didn't flinch. In a heartbeat, the suave billionaire CEO vanished, replaced entirely by a cold, calculating mafia warlord.
He ripped open a hidden compartment beneath the dining table, retrieving two semi-automatic pistols and spare magazines. He racked the slide on the first weapon with a sharp clack and tucked it into his waistband, handing the smaller pistol to me.
“Have you ever fired a gun?” he asked, checking the sights on his weapon.
“Only at tin cans at my uncle’s farm in Ohio six years ago!” I gasped, my knuckles white as I gripped the cold steel.
“Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Aim for center mass. Stay behind me,” Julian instructed, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward the steel emergency door at the rear of the penthouse.
Gunfire erupted from the stairwell below. Heavy rounds shattered the thick glass display cases in the loft, sending sharp fragments raining across the floor.
Julian pulled me flat against the brick wall. Two masked men burst through the main double doors, assault rifles raised.
Before they could acquire their targets, Julian swung out from behind the brick column. Three rapid, deafening shots echoed in the enclosed space. Both intruders collapsed instantly, their weapons clattering against the hardwood.
My ears rang violently. The smell of sulfur and cordite filled the air, choking my lungs. I squeezed my eyes shut, terrified, but Julian’s hand was already on the nape of my neck, grounding me.
“Eyes on me, Harper! Move!”
He pushed me through the service door into a dark freight elevator shaft. A heavy steel ladder led upward toward the roof.
“Climb,” Julian commanded, positioning himself at the base of the ladder, his gun trained on the open doorway behind us.
I grabbed the cold iron rungs, climbing furiously despite my trembling legs. Sweat dripped down my temple. Below me, another burst of gunfire shook the shaft. Julian returned fire with deadly precision, his face illuminated by muzzle flashes.
“Mikhail secured the rooftop helicopter!” Julian shouted up to me over the chaos. “Keep going!”
I reached the rusted rooftop hatch, throwing my weight against the heavy iron latch. It gave way with a screech, swinging open into the freezing rain of the New York night.
Above us, the rhythmic chop-chop-chop of helicopter blades beat the air into a frenzy. A sleek black transport chopper hovered ten feet above the gravel roof, landing gear touching down just as Julian hauled himself out of the hatch behind me.
Across the rooftop, two more syndicate operatives emerged from the fire escape, opening fire.
A bullet grazed Julian’s thigh, tearing through his tactical pants. He grunted, stumbling slightly, but his grip on my waist never wavered. With a fierce roar of effort, he threw me into the open cabin of the helicopter where Mikhail pulled me inside.
Julian vaulted in behind me, slamming the sliding door shut just as bullets pinged harmlessly off the reinforced exterior.
The helicopter banked sharply, lifting high into the storm clouds above Brooklyn.
Inside the cabin, I collapsed onto the floorboards, hyperventilating. Julian fell back against the passenger seat, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Blood was pooling beneath his pant leg.
“You’re shot!” I screamed, crawling over to him on hands and knees.
Julian reached out, catching my face in both of his bloody hands. His eyes searched mine frantically, checking every inch of my body. “Are you hit? Harper, did they touch you?”
“I’m fine, you idiot! Look at your leg!” Tears spilled over my eyelashes, mixing with the rain on my cheeks. I grabbed the hem of the cashmere sweater, tearing off a long strip of fabric without hesitation, and pressed it hard against the bleeding wound on his thigh.
Julian winced, his jaw clenching as pain ripped through him, but his eyes never left my face. As I frantically worked to stem the bleeding, his hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me upward until our foreheads rested against each other.
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“You’re incredible,” he whispered, his voice trembling with an emotion that had nothing to do with pain. “Do you have any idea how magnificent you are?”
Before I could answer, his lips crashed down on mine.
