Chapter 5 - THE PRICE OF SURVIVALThe gloved hand pried the bent door frame outward.
Metal screeched in protest.
I threw myself over Gabriel’s body, using my own back as a shield.
“Get away from him!” I screamed, my voice cracking.
The assailant ignored me.
He reached inside, his fingers wrapping around the collar of Gabriel’s shirt.
Before he could drag him out, a loud series of gunshots echoed down the highway.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The man froze.
A bullet sparked off the asphalt inches from his boot.
“Drop your weapon!” Daniel’s voice roared from behind the second SUV.
The assailant cursed under his breath, let go of Gabriel, and sprinted toward a waiting black sedan parked on the shoulder.
The getaway car screeched away, burning rubber.
“Boss!” Daniel rushed up to the wrecked Mercedes, pulling the mangled door completely off its hinges.
“Is he breathing?” I cried, my hands covered in Gabriel’s blood.
“He’s alive,” Daniel said, his face grim.
He reached inside and helped me pull Gabriel clear of the wreckage.
“Get him into the backup SUV. Now!”
Two hours later, the private medical wing of the DeLuca estate looked like a hospital ICU.
Two private doctors worked swiftly over Gabriel.
I stood outside the glass partition, shivering in a borrowed sweater.
My hands were still stained with blood.
“He’s going to be fine, Miss Hannah,” Daniel said, walking up and handing me a cup of water.
“The bullet grazed his shoulder, but the blunt force from the crash caused a concussion.”
I took a shaky breath.
“Who was that?”
“Isabella’s uncle,” Daniel said, his jaw clenched.
“Viktor Vance. Old money. Old mafia connections that law enforcement pretends don't exist.”
“He tried to kill us in broad daylight.”
“Desperate people do desperate things,” Daniel replied coldly.
“And Viktor knows that if Gabriel opens that green folder in court, the Vance family empire collapses.”
“Where is Sophie?” I asked suddenly, panic returning.
“She’s upstairs with Mrs. Gable,” Daniel reassured me.
“Secure. Nobody gets in or out without my authorization.”
The door to the medical room opened.
One of the doctors stepped out, wiping his hands on a towel.
“He’s awake,” the doctor said.
“Can I see him?” I asked.
The doctor nodded.
“Just don't let him get out of bed. He’s too stubborn for his own good.”
Gabriel was propped up against white pillows, his left shoulder heavily bandaged.
He looked tired, pale, but his eyes were sharp.
As I walked in, he turned his head slowly.
“You’re still here,” he rasped.
“Where else would I go?” I pulled a chair up beside the bed.
“You could have run. Daniel could have driven you to the station.”
“And left you and Sophie?” I shook my head.
“I’m not a coward, Mr. DeLuca.”
Gabriel gave a faint, tired smirk.
“I’m starting to realize that, Hannah.”
He tried to shift his weight, wincing in pain.
“Don't move,” I warned, gently pushing his good shoulder back.
“My shoulder is fine.”
“Your shoulder is shredded.”
He looked at me for a long moment in silence.
“Viktor Vance won't stop with a car crash,” Gabriel said quietly.
“Neither will I,” I replied.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
“You?”
“You have the legal power, Mr. DeLuca. But I have the trust.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small silver key Sophie had given me.
“Sophie gave me this yesterday. She said there was another key in her mother’s jewelry box.”
Gabriel stared at the key.
“What is it?”
“The key to the safe deposit box at downtown Chicago First National,” I said softly.
“Her mother knew this day was coming.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened slightly.
“The real evidence,” he whispered.
“Everything Isabella tried to hide,” I nodded.
Gabriel reached out and caught my hand.
His grip was firm, despite his injuries.
May you like
“We end this tonight,” he said.
[CLIFFHANGER: AS HANNAH LEAVES THE ESTATE TO RETRIEVE THE SAFE DEPOSIT BOX, HER TAXI IS INTERCEPTED BY AN UNFAMILIAR CAR WITH NO LICENSE PLATES.]
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