Chapter 10 - The Trap Snaps Back Adrian closed his eyes, a profound sense of sorrow washing over him. He had made terrible mistakes, but as he faced the barrel of the gun, his only regret was that he hadn't told Clara how deeply he loved her one last time.
Click.
The hammer of the revolver fell on an empty chamber.
Vanessa frowned, pulling the trigger again. Click. Another empty chamber.
Before she could realize what was happening, the shadows along the upper gantry crane erupted into blinding white light. A half-dozen red laser sights painted their chests simultaneously.
"Drop the weapon!" a familiar, gravelly voice echoed from above.
Nikolai and his enforcers whipped their heads upward. Standing on the elevated walkway, holding a customized tactical rifle alongside a heavily armed team of private security operatives, was Arthur Sterling—and standing right beside him, holding a secure laptop, was Detective Marcus Vance.
"It's over, Nikolai," Detective Vance shouted down through a bullhorn. "Your offshore accounts were seized by federal marshals this morning. And your little prison breakout for Mrs. Vance was recorded on federal wiretaps from second one."
Vanessa shrieked in absolute fury, spinning the revolver around and pointing it toward the gantry, but before she could fire, a sharp crack echoed through the warehouse.
A high-velocity rubber kinetic round struck Vanessa’s wrist with brutal force, shattering her grip and sending the revolver spinning across the concrete floor. She screamed, clutching her broken hand as the enforcers immediately dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.
Adrian slumped forward, gasping for air as the security operatives released his arms.
From the doorway behind them, another set of footsteps echoed. Adrian turned slowly.
Clara walked into the warehouse. She wasn't wearing a coat; she looked like she had rushed straight from home. Her eyes were wide, filled with a raw, terrifying mix of fear and undeniable love.
Without a word, she crossed the concrete floor in a dead sprint, bypassing the handcuffed criminals, and threw her arms around Adrian's neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed uncontrollably.
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"You idiot..." Clara cried, her fists bunching up against his jacket. "You absolute fool... why didn't you call the police? Why did you come here alone?!"
Adrian wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so tight against his chest as if he never intended to let her go for the rest of his life. The cold, dark warehouse melted away, replaced by the warmth of a second chance he knew he didn't deserve, but swore with every fiber of his being he would never, ever take for granted again.
