Chapter 15 - Blood on the Altar
CRASH!
The vase struck Lydia directly in the chest, shattering into a hundred sharp shards and knocking her off balance. Her gun went off with a muffled THWIP, the bullet tearing through the white silk of my wedding veil, missing my ear by inches.
Before the two mercenaries could react, I didn't run for the door—I lunged straight for the window overlooking the main sanctuary!
I slammed my body against the stained-glass window, shattering the glass and tumbling through the opening, falling fifteen feet down onto the red carpet of the main altar!
THUD!
Pain shot through my ankles as I landed hard, white silk ripping, blood staining the aisle. The entire cathedral gasped in absolute horror as hundreds of wealthy guests scrambled out of their seats in panic.
"CLARA!"
Dominic’s voice roared through the cathedral. He broke away from the altar, vaulting over the wooden railing and dropping to his knees beside me.
"Clara! Are you hit?!" he panicked, his hands frantically checking my body for bullet wounds.
"Lydia..." I choked out, grabbing his lapels, gasping for air. "She's in the dressing room! She has fake agents—they're going to shoot you!"
Before Dominic could react, the heavy oak doors at the front of the church blew inward with a deafening BOOM!
Dozens of armed men in tactical gear burst into the sanctuary, shouting demands to lay down weapons. But among them was Lydia, stepping out onto the balcony overlooking the main hall, a cold smile on her face.
"Dominic Vale!" Lydia's voice amplified through the church speakers. "Drop your weapon! You are under arrest for federal treason!"
The guests screamed, rushing for the exits in a stampede of terror. Dominic’s loyal lieutenants pulled their weapons, taking positions behind the pews, turning the holy cathedral into a warzone.
Dominic stood up, pulling me behind his broad frame, sheltering me from the balconies above. He drew two customized pistols, his eyes locked onto Lydia with absolute, uncompromising wrath.
"Eleanor Hargrove told me you were smart, Lydia," Dominic shouted back, his voice cutting through the chaos. "But you made one mistake."
Lydia frowned from the balcony, her gun raised. "What mistake?!"
"You brought mercenaries to a church," Dominic sneered.
Suddenly, the heavy iron chandeliers hanging from the cathedral ceiling slammed down!
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BOOM! BOOM!
Crushing three of Lydia's men instantly! The shadows of the church erupted as dozens of Dominic's elite snipers, who had been hiding in the high rafters of the cathedral all along, opened fire!
