Chapter 13 - THE PRICE OF BLOOD
Z
The gala devolved into absolute pandemonium. Federal agents swarmed the floor, securing Delgado and his men before they could draw their weapons. The billionaire attendees shrieked, dropping champagne flutes and scrambling for the exits.
I ignored the chaos, pushing my way back into the ballroom, my eyes scanning the terrified crowd for the emerald green of Maria’s dress. I had to find her. The trap was sprung, Delgado was neutralized, but Marcus was still loose in the room.
I spotted her near the grand staircase. She was backing away from the rushing crowd, looking for me.
But I wasn't the only one who saw her.
Through the sea of panicked socialites, Marcus Thorne was moving with terrifying purpose. The affable, charming CFO facade had completely vanished, replaced by the desperate, cornered animal underneath. He had seen Delgado get taken down. He knew the FBI wasn't there for a random raid; they were there for the cartel, which meant they were there for him.
And he knew exactly who was responsible for uncovering his betrayal.
"Maria!" I shouted, sprinting across the marble floor.
Marcus reached her first. He grabbed her violently by the arm, spinning her around and pulling her tightly against his chest. In his right hand, hidden from the rushing crowd but perfectly visible to me, was a small, black snub-nosed revolver pressed directly into her side.
Maria gasped in pain, her eyes wide with shock, but she didn't scream. She locked eyes with me over Marcus’s shoulder, her jaw set with a defiant, terrified courage.
I stopped dead in my tracks, ten feet away. The FBI agents were busy corralling Delgado's men on the other side of the massive ballroom, completely oblivious to the hostage situation unfolding by the stairs.
"Back off, Daniel," Marcus hissed, his voice trembling with manic energy. "Take one step closer, and I'll put a bullet through her liver."
"It's over, Marcus," I said, raising my hands slowly, trying to project a calm I didn't feel. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. "Delgado is in cuffs. The servers are seized. You have nowhere to go."
"I have a private jet waiting at Teterboro," Marcus spat, dragging Maria backward up the first few steps of the grand staircase, heading toward the private exit. "And she is going to walk me right through the VIP doors to my car. If anyone stops me, she dies."
"You're a coward, Marcus," I said, stepping slowly forward, keeping his focus entirely on me. "You used Vincent as a shield. You used my father’s trust. You sold out your own company to a cartel to line your pockets."
"I built this company!" Marcus screamed, a fleck of spittle flying from his lips. "Your father and I built the empire, and he left it to a spoiled, arrogant child! You think you’re a king, Daniel? You’re a caretaker. I made the deals that kept us profitable. I made the sacrifices!"
"You sacrificed Mateo Torres," Maria gritted out, wincing as Marcus pressed the gun harder into her ribs. "You ordered my husband's murder."
"He was a glorified calculator who couldn't keep his mouth shut!" Marcus yelled, his grip tightening. "Just like you."
"Let her go, Marcus," I demanded, dropping the corporate mask, letting the raw, violent fury of my father’s bloodline bleed into my voice. "Take me. I’m the CEO. I’m the one you hate. I’m your leverage. Let the widow go, and I will walk you to your car."
Marcus sneered, looking at me with absolute contempt. "You think you're being heroic? You're weak, Daniel. You fell in love with the help. It’s pathetic."
He wasn't going to let her go. He was going to use her to get to the car, and then he was going to kill her, leaving her body in an alley to cover his tracks. I saw the calculation in his eyes.
I had to break his focus.
"Did you know Elias helped me?" I asked suddenly, loudly.
Marcus froze. The mention of his estranged brother, the ruthless fixer, broke his manic concentration for a fraction of a second. "What?"
"Elias gave you up," I lied smoothly, closing the distance by another two feet. "He told me you were the mole. He said you were always the weaker brother. Sloppy. Greedy. He sold you out for a paycheck, Marcus."
"You're lying!" Marcus roared, his grip on Maria loosening just a fraction in his rage.
That fraction was all Maria needed.
With blinding speed, she stomped the stiletto heel of her shoe directly down onto Marcus's instep, crushing the small bones of his foot. Marcus shrieked, his weight shifting violently. As he stumbled, Maria threw her elbow backward, catching him square in the jaw.
The revolver fired, a deafening crack that echoed over the screaming crowd. The bullet shattered a marble pillar harmlessly.
Before Marcus could recover his aim, I closed the final distance. I tackled him, driving my shoulder directly into his chest. We hit the marble stairs with a bone-crunching thud. The gun skittered away across the floor.
Marcus clawed at my face, screaming curses, but the rage I had suppressed for eighteen months finally unleashed. I drove my fist into his face once, twice, shattering his nose, ending the reign of the last corrupt titan in my father's empire.
FBI agents swarmed us, pulling me off him and slamming him face-down onto the stairs, snapping handcuffs over his wrists.
I scrambled to my feet, gasping for air, searching frantically.
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Maria was sitting on the bottom step, breathing heavily, clutching her bruised arm. She wasn't shot. She was alive.
I fell to my knees beside her, pulling her into my arms. She buried her face in my shoulder, the adrenaline finally breaking, allowing the tears to fall. I held her tightly, surrounded by the flashing lights and chaos, knowing that the war was finally over.
