Chapter 6 - Blood on the Concrete
The world dissolved into chaos. Gabriel’s weapon fired twice in rapid succession, dropping the mercenary instantly before the man could fire another round. Simultaneously, the heavy warehouse doors were breached by Mateo and a dozen armored Moretti enforcers, their assault rifles barking in controlled bursts that pinned Luke’s remaining men to the concrete floor.
""Surrender! On your knees! Hands behind your heads!"" Mateo’s voice bellowed through the smoke.
I didn't care about the gunfire. I didn't care about Luke dropping to his knees, sobbing in terror as zip-ties were wrenched around his wrists.
All I cared about was the heavy weight of Gabriel collapsing against me.
""Gabriel!"" I cried out, dropping the tablet and catching him beneath the arms, our combined weight hitting the wet concrete floor.
My hands scrambled across his chest, instantly coming away warm and slick with dark crimson. The bullet had caught him high in his left shoulder, dangerously close to the collarbone. He was breathing in ragged, shallow gasps, his face deathly pale beneath the flickering red emergency lights.
""Claire..."" he choked out, his vision swimming as his hand weakly reached up to touch my cheek. ""Are you... are you hurt?""
""You absolute idiot!"" Tears spilled over my eyelashes, mixing with the rain dripping from my hair. ""Why did you do that?! You already took three bullets for your family, why would you take another one for me?!""
A faint, strained cough shook his frame, but his lips curved into the ghost of that infuriating, beautiful smile. ""Because... you're my wife. And you're worth... a hundred of them.""
""Mateo! Get the medic! Now!"" I screamed into the chaos, ripping off my cashmere scarf and pressing it violently against the gushing wound to stem the bleeding. Gabriel winced, his head falling back against my lap as his eyes fluttered shut.
""Don't you dare close your eyes, Gabriel Moretti!"" I ordered, my voice trembling with fierce desperation. I leaned over him, pressing my forehead against his cool, damp temple. ""You promised me an annulment, remember? You promised me a choice! If you die on this warehouse floor, I am stuck as your widow, and I swear to God I will spend every penny of your money on the ugliest furniture in North America! Stay with me!""
""That's... a terrible threat..."" he whispered faintly, his fingers weakly curling into the fabric of my sweater.
Five minutes later, two tactical combat medics burst through the doors with a trauma stretcher. They swarmed over him with bandages, pressure dressings, and IV lines. As they lifted his limp body onto the gurney, Mateo approached me, his weathered face etched with deep respect.
""Mrs. Moretti, the police are held back at the gate. Luke is in our custody. The crates contained sixty million dollars in illicit offshore bearer bonds Callahan was trying to liquidate before the federal audit hit his committee. You won.""
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I looked down at my hands, soaked in Gabriel's blood, my heart pounding so hard against my ribs that it felt bruised.
""We haven't won anything until Gabriel wakes up,"" I said coldly, wiping the rain from my eyes. ""Take Luke to the holding cell at the estate. Don't touch him, don't feed him, and don't let him sleep. I will deal with him myself once my husband is out of surgery.""
