Chapter 4 - THE BULLETS IN THE BALLROOM
Instinct—honed by years of survival and the desperate need to protect the only piece of innocence left in this dark house—took over completely. There was no time to think, no time to calculate the odds, no time to scream a warning.
"Get down!" I shrieked.
The first gunshot shattered the silence of the gala, the deafening crack echoing off the marble pillars. The multi-tiered crystal chandelier above the ballroom exploded into a cascade of sparkling shards, raining glass down over the screaming, panicked crowd.
Panic erupted instantly. Women screamed, wine glasses shattered on the floor, and powerful men dove behind heavy mahogany tables like cowards.
The second bullet tore through a massive floral display of white roses beside the terrace doors, showering us in petals and shredded leaves.
The assassin shifted his aim, correcting his angle downward, locking his sights directly on the small, terrified figure of Caleb, who stood frozen like a deer in headlights.
I didn't hesitate. I launched myself forward, throwing my entire body over Caleb, driving us both hard onto the cold marble floor just as the third shot ripped through the air.
Thud.
The impact of the bullet hitting my shoulder felt like being struck by a runaway freight train. A searing, white-hot agony exploded across my back, stealing the breath straight from my lungs. Before I could even process the pain, two more consecutive impacts slammed into my ribs—heavy, brutal, and unmistakable. Iron driven into flesh.
Ahhh...
A choked gasp escaped my lips, and instantly, warm, coppery blood filled my mouth, spilling over my tongue.
Beneath me, Caleb began to scream—a high, piercing wail of absolute terror.
"Don't look," I choked out, my voice a wet, ragged whisper as my vision began to tunnel into darkness. "Caleb... keep your eyes closed..."
The world around us dissolved into a chaotic blur of shouting guards, flashing security lights, and frantic footsteps thundering across the marble.
And then, Dominic was there.
The most terrifying, unshakeable man on the East Coast dropped violently to his knees beside us. Every trace of his cold, calculated control had vanished, replaced by a raw, feral panic that tore right through his polished facade.
He shoved my body gently, trying to assess the damage, his large hands trembling—actually trembling—as they came away slick with my blood.
"Stay with me, Mara!" Dominic ordered, his voice cracking with an urgency that defied everything I knew about him. He gripped my face in his palms, his slate-gray eyes wide and wild. "Look at me! You hear me? You do not get to die in my ballroom after saving my boy! Stay with me!"
Caleb was crying hysterically beneath me, his small hands clutching the fabric of my dress. "Mara! Mara, wake up!"
"He's... he's safe," I murmured, tasting the salt and iron of my own life bleeding out onto the floor.
My vision flickered, the bright lights of the ballroom dimming like a dying lightbulb. The weight of my body became too heavy to lift. The pain began to recede, replaced by a strange, numb floating sensation as my consciousness slipped toward the edge of the abyss.
And then, right before the darkness claimed me entirely, something happened that stopped my heart even more effectively than the bullets in my chest.
Through the chaos of shouting guards and sirens wailing in the distance, a voice cut through the air from behind Dominic.
It was a smooth, low, chillingly familiar voice. A voice that belonged to a grave in the Adirondacks. A voice from the life I had burned to the ground eight years ago.
The man leaned down near Dominic's shoulder, ignoring the terror around him, and whispered a single word into the open air—my real name. The name I hadn't heard since the night my old life died.
My eyes snapped wide open, defying the fading light.
May you like
I forced my head upward, my gaze cutting across the blood-spattered marble of the ballroom. Standing near the shattered terrace doors, casually brushing a speck of dust off his immaculate Italian suit, was a man who was supposed to be six feet under.
And as our eyes met across the room, he smiled.
