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The warehouse turned into a war zone. Water from the sprinklers mixed with blood on the concrete floor, creating pink rivulets that snaked between the crates. Through gaps in our metal shelter, I watched Leo’s team move like shadows – each step precise, each shot deliberate. Nathaniel’s men dropped one by one, their screams cut short by silenced weapons.
“We need to move.” Leo pulled back the slide on his gun, checking the chamber. His soaked shirt clung to his shoulders, highlighting the tension in his muscles. “There’s a secure exit through the loading bay. Sofia’s team will cover us.”
My fingers dug into his sleeve. “Nathaniel?” The name tasted bitter on my tongue. “Lost him in the chaos.” His expression hardened, jaw clenching tight enough I saw at muscle twitch. “But he won’t get far. I’ve got men at every exit.”
The explosion caught us off guard. The blast wave slammed into our cover, sending metal fragments flying. My ears rang as smoke filled the air, mixing with the water to create ant
otherworldly fog. Through the haze, I glimpsed brutal hand–to–hand combat – bodies locked in deadly embrace, knives flashing in the emergency lights.
“Now!” Leo’s arm wrapped around my waist, hauling me to my feet. He positioned himself between me and the ongoing firefight, his body a shield against stray bullets. The wet silk of my dress tangled around my legs as we moved, but Leo’s grip kept me upright.
We ran through the maze of crates and machinery, my heart pounding against my ribs. Leo moved with lethal precision – a predator in his element. His gun barked twice, and two
of Nathaniel’s men dropped before they could level their weapons. No wasted motion, no
hesitation. Just clean, efficient violence that made my breath catch.
“Left,” he commanded, yanking me behind a forklift as bullets peppered the spot we’d occupied seconds before. The acrid smell of gunpowder mixed with the metallic tang of blood
and rain from the sprinklers.
Leo’s return fire dropped another attacker. The man’s scream cut off mid–throat as he crumpled, his weapon clattering across the concrete. I forced myself to look away from the growing pool of red beneath his body.
The loading bay doors appeared through the smoke – massive steel barriers promising freedom. My legs burned as we sprinted toward them, dodging between shipping containers and abandoned equipment. Leo’s breathing remained steady despite our pace, his movements fluid and controlled as he cleared our path.
“One more step and I put a bullet in her head.”
Nathaniel’s voice sliced through the chaos like a blade. We skidded to a stop, and my stomach dropped at the scene before us. Jessica stood in front of the exit, her manicured finger wrapped around the trigger of a gun pressed against Sofia’s temple. Blood matted Sofia’s dark hair, trailing down her face in crimson streams. But her eyes – her eyes burned with a rage that
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Marty My Ex butbands Rivil
made Jessica’s hand tremble slightly.
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Leo’s arm shot out, keeping me behind him as he leveled his weapon at Jessica. Water dripped from his hair, running down his face like tears, but his aim never wavered.
“Let her go,” he growled, his voice carrying a darkness I’d never heard before. “This isn’t her
fight.”
“Drop the weapon, Leo.” Nathaniel stepped from the shadows, his designer suit now a sodden mess. “Or watch your loyal lieutenant die.”
Leo didn’t flinch. “You’re surrounded, Nathaniel. It’s over.”
“Is it?” Nathaniel’s smile cut through the gloom like a knife. “I still have all the evidence about your organization. One phone call and it goes public. Your legitimate business, your political connections – all gone.”
“You really think I care about that now?” The deadly calm in Leo’s voice sent chills down my
spine.
“No.” Nathaniel’s gaze locked onto mine, and my blood turned to ice. “But you care about her. And once I’m done with your empire, I’ll make sure Victoria spends the rest of her life in prison for embezzlement. After all, I have proof.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. The documents. He still had them – evidence of my desperate attempt to save my mother, twisted into something criminal.
“Unless,” Nathaniel’s voice dripped with satisfaction, “we make a deal.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Sofia who had came to our rescue snarled, but was caught by Jessica. Jessica rammed the gun harder against her temple, silencing her.
I watched Leo’s face, saw the conflict raging in his eyes. His entire world balanced on a knife’s edge because of me.
I couldn’t let him lose everything.
“What kind of deal?” I stepped forward, shrugging off Leo’s restraining hand.
Nathaniel’s smile grew wider. “Simple. You come with me. Sign over your father’s remaining properties. Admit publicly that you lied about everything. In return, I’ll keep Leo’s secrets and destroy the evidence of your crime.”
“Victoria, no.” Leo’s voice cracked with raw emotion. “We’ll find another way.”
My heart ached at the pain in his voice, but my mind was made up. Each step toward Nathaniel felt like walking through concrete, but I kept my spine straight, chin lifted. The weight of the flash–bang in my palm anchored me to reality.
“You’ll leave Leo and his organization alone? Give me your word.”
Water dripped from Nathaniel’s hair, but his smile remained pristine – practiced, perfect, poisonous. “You have it.” He extended his hand like a snake preparing to strike. “Come home, darling. Where you belong.”
I moved closer, counting the steps. Three feet separated us now. Behind me, Leo’s sharp
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Marry My Ex–husband’s Rival
intake of breath cut through the warehouse like a blade. The sound held pain and understandin wrapped into one devastating moment.
My lips curved into a smile, one that matched Nathaniel’s in its deadliness. “You always did
underestimate me.”
The flash–bang left my hand in a smooth arc, just as Sofia had taught me. The explosion ripped through the space, a supernova of sound and light. I dropped and rolled across the wet. concrete, my ears ringing as Leo’s team burst through the loading bay doors in a coordinated
wave.
Through the smoke and chaos, I caught one last glimpse of Nathaniel’s face. His perfect mask shattered, replaced by naked shock as his carefully constructed plan crumbled around
him.
It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
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