Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
"Julian," Tristan said, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm register. Despite the IV lines and his weakness, he began to sit up, placing his body directly between Julian and Bianca. "Put the gun down. This is between you and me. Let her leave."
"Let her leave?" Julian laughed, a high-pitched, unstable sound. "No, I don't think so. She’s the reason you got soft, Tristan. The great, ruthless Tristan Bellamy, taking a bullet for a driver, and now hiding in a hospital room with a nurse. She’s your weakness. And I’m going to take her away from you, just like you took my family's legacy from me."
Julian raised the gun, pointing it directly at Bianca.
Bianca’s mind went into survival mode. She didn't freeze. She looked at the medical cart beside her. On it lay a tray of surgical instruments, including a heavy metal tray and several vials of highly concentrated saline.
"Julian," Bianca said, stepping out from behind Tristan, her voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. "You don't want to do this. The police are already looking for you. If you pull that trigger, there’s no escape. You will spend the rest of your life in a maximum-security prison. Or worse."
"Shut up!" Julian screamed, his hand shaking. "You don't know anything about me!"
"I know you're desperate," Bianca said, taking a slow, deliberate step toward the cart. "And I know you're terrified. But Tristan can still help you. He can drop the charges. He can—"
"I will do nothing of the sort," Tristan growled, trying to get out of bed, but the sudden movement caused him to gasp in pain, his hand flying to his bandaged chest.
"Tristan!" Bianca cried.
Julian distracted by Tristan's pain, turned his gaze toward him.
In that split second of distraction, Bianca acted. She grabbed the heavy metal tray from the cart and threw it with all her strength at Julian’s face.
The tray struck Julian square in the nose with a sickening crack. He cried out in pain, stumbling backward, his gun firing a wild shot into the ceiling.
Before he could recover, Bianca grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher from its wall bracket and sprayed the chemical foam directly into Julian’s face. He fell to the floor, coughing and blindingly clawing at his eyes.
At that moment, the door burst open. Dominic and three armed security guards rushed into the room, their weapons drawn. They quickly pinned Julian to the floor, handcuffing him and dragging him out of the room.
The room fell into a stunned silence, filled only with the smell of chemical foam and the sound of heavy breathing.
Dominic turned to Bianca, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Miss Mendes... did you just neutralize an armed assailant with a fire extinguisher?"
Bianca, her hands shaking so violently she dropped the extinguisher, let out a breathless, hysterical laugh. "I... I think I did."
She turned to Tristan. He was staring at her, his dark eyes filled with an expression she had never seen before—a mixture of sheer awe, pride, and an overwhelming, consuming love.
"You," Tristan whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "You are absolutely extraordinary."
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Bianca ran to his side, throwing her arms around his neck, careful of his injuries. "I told you," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I can take care of myself."
Tristan held her tight, his hand resting on the back of her head, kissing her hair over and over again. "I love you, Bianca. God help me, I love you so much."
