Chapter 5 - BLOOD ON THE MAHOGANY
Marcus DeLuca froze. The voice belonged to a dead man. Slowly, mechanically, he turned around.
Adrian Vale stepped out of the shadows, his gun leveled directly at the center of Marcus’s forehead. The rain beat against the large arched windows, framing Adrian like an angel of death in a tailored suit.
"Adrian..." Marcus whispered, the color draining from his face, leaving him looking like a wax figure. "How...?"
"You always were impatient, Marcus," Adrian said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "You couldn't wait for the confirmation. You just assumed the board was cleared."
Marcus’s eyes darted toward the door, then back to Adrian. He was calculating the odds. "Adrian, listen to me. This isn't what it looks like. I was... I was testing her! I was securing the assets for you!"
"You're a bad liar," Adrian stated flatly. "And you have blood on my carpets."
In a desperate, lightning-fast move, Marcus swung his weapon toward Celeste, intending to use her as a hostage. But Adrian had anticipated it. He was already pulling the trigger.
Pfft. Pfft.
Two suppressed shots coughed in the quiet room. The first bullet shattered Marcus's wrist, sending his gun clattering across the mahogany floor. The second took him in the right kneecap.
Marcus screamed, a raw, ugly sound, collapsing to the floor in a heap of designer fabric and blood.
Adrian walked forward methodically. He didn't look at Marcus. He looked at Celeste. He holstered his weapon, walked to her chair, and knelt in front of her.
"Are you hurt?" he asked softly, examining her face.
Celeste reached out, her trembling hand touching his cheek, tracing the line of his jaw as if to ensure he was real. "You're alive," she whispered, a tear finally escaping her eye. "I thought... I thought I lost you before we could fix us."
Adrian took her hand, kissing her palm. "I'm here. But we aren't safe yet. Marcus brought his dogs into our house."
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Behind them, Marcus groaned, clutching his shattered knee. "You're a dead man, Vale! My men are outside. They heard the scream. They'll be coming through those doors any second!"
Adrian stood up, drawing his gun once more. He looked down at his former friend. "Let them come."
