Chapter 7 - The Trap on the Coast
The crisp night air of the Newport terrace helped calm Wren’s racing heart. She leaned against the stone balustrade, looking out over the dark, crashing waves of the Atlantic.
"I'm sorry," Julian muttered, standing close beside her. "I shouldn't have brought you into that cesspool."
"No," Wren said softly, turning to look up at him. "I'm glad you did. I saw... I saw what you protect us from every single day. The danger you live in."
Julian sighed, resting his hands on the stone railing on either side of her, effectively trapping her in his safe, warm space. "Every day I live with the fear that someone will try to reach me through Leo. Or through you."
"Through me?" Wren blinked, surprised.
"Wren," Julian said, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that made her pulse spike. "Do you really think I brought you into my home just because Leo smiled? From the exact second you walked through that door and fell onto my floor, I knew you were the only real thing in my life. I haven't been able to think about anything else for weeks."
Before Wren could process his words, the sharp crack of a gunshot shattered the night air.
Bang!
A bullet chipped the stone balustrade inches from Julian’s shoulder.
"Sniper!" Julian roared, instantly grabbing Wren by the waist and tackling her to the marble floor as a barrage of silenced gunfire erupted from the cliffside below.
Chaos broke out inside the ballroom as screams echoed and security guards drew their weapons.
"Stay down!" Julian ordered, shielding Wren entirely beneath his broad shoulders and heavy jacket. He pulled a heavy Beretta 9mm from his shoulder holster with lightning speed, scanning the dark cliffside.
"Julian, look out!" Wren cried, spotting a shadow moving along the terrace roof above them.
Without hesitation, Julian fired two precise shots upward. A muffled grunt echoed from the roof, followed by the heavy thud of a body dropping onto the grass below.
Within seconds, Julian’s elite security team swarmed the terrace, securing the perimeter.
"Boss, the shooter's neutralized. It's a Moretti operative," the head guard reported, breathing heavily. "We need to get you and Miss Calloway to the armored transport immediately."
Julian grabbed Wren’s hand, pulling her to her feet. She was shaking, her emerald dress stained with dust, but her eyes were locked entirely on him.
"Are you hit?" Julian demanded, frantically checking her arms and shoulders for any sign of blood.
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"No! I'm fine, Julian, I'm fine!" she gasped. "What about you?"
"I'm invincible as long as you're breathing," Julian growled, pulling her hard against his chest in a desperate, fierce embrace before sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her through the chaos to the waiting armored SUV.
