Chapter 9 - The Crimson Snow
I didn't wait for the radio. I didn't wait for Viktor.
I spun the brass wheel of the panic room door, the heavy steel screaming as I pushed it open. The smell of burnt gunpowder, copper, and fresh pine needles hit me like a physical blow.
"Clara! No!" Leo screamed behind me, but I was already running down the hallway.
Nikolai lay on his back near the stairs, a dark red pool expanding beneath his head, his silver revolver lying uselessly a few feet away. He was gone.
But David was sitting against the wall, his hand clutched tightly over his side, dark red blood seeping between his fingers, staining his white shirt a deep, horrifying crimson. His breathing was shallow, his face the color of old paper.
"David..." I gasped, dropping to my knees beside him, my hands instantly covering his wound, trying to apply pressure. "My God, David... stay with me. Leo, stay in the room!"
"Clara..." David whispered, his eyes struggling to focus on my face. "You... you have to go. The cars... the keys are in Viktor's pocket... take the boy..."
"I'm not leaving you!" I cried, my tears mixing with the blood on his shirt. "You're his father, David! He needs you! I can't do this alone!"
Suddenly, the sound of heavy boots echoed from the stairs.
I looked up, my heart stopping as a tall, broad-shouldered man in tactical gear stepped into the hallway. In his hand was a black assault rifle.
I threw myself over David's body, my eyes closed, waiting for the final, cold impact of a bullet.
"Step away from him, miss."
I opened my eyes.
The man wasn't pointing the gun at us. He was wearing a dark blue tactical vest with the letters FBI printed in bold, white letters across his chest. Behind him, more agents were pouring into the cabin, their weapons clearing the rooms with professional efficiency.
"We have the suspect down," the agent said into his radio. "We need medical evac immediately. We have two civilian victims and one wounded suspect."
Viktor stepped up the stairs behind them, his arm in a sling but his face alive with relief. He looked at David, then at me, and gave a small, respectful nod.
"The mole was Nikolai's attorney, Boss," Viktor said softly. "We found the wire transfers this morning. The Bureau had his phones tapped. They followed Nikolai's team straight to the cabin."
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David let out a long, shuddering breath, his head resting back against the blood-stained wall. He looked at me, a tiny, exhausted smile touching his lips.
"It’s over, Clara," he whispered before his eyes finally closed, his body slipping into unconsciousness.
