Chapter 8 - THE TRAP CLOSES
My breath caught in my throat. The cold metal barrel of the pistol looked as wide as a cannon shaft in the dim green glow of the monitor.
"Step away from the console, little lady," the thug snarled, taking a slow, menacing step forward into the room. "Boss wants to know who authorized a state audit at midnight."
My fingers curled tightly around the USB drive in my pocket. My mind raced at lightspeed. There was no security guard to bluff here, no trick left to play. I was trapped on the second floor of a syndicate stronghold with a hired gun who looked like he enjoyed breaking bones in his spare time.
"I'm just following protocol," I stalled, keeping my hands raised while my eyes darted desperately around the room for an escape route. The only window was sealed shut with reinforced security bars.
"Protocol's over," the man laughed darkly, raising the pistol higher. "Say hello to Kovalev’s crew for me."
He tightened his finger on the trigger.
BANG.
The sound of gunfire echoed through the small office, but the bullet didn't hit me.
Instead, the gunman’s eyes went wide with shock. A spray of dark liquid splattered against the wall behind him as a heavy, shadowy mass crashed through the open office door like a tactical battering ram.
Titan.
The 130-pound Cane Corso hit the gunman square in the ribs with the force of a speeding locomotive, sending him flying backward over a metal desk. The pistol discharged harmlessly into the ceiling as the man crashed into a filing cabinet with a bone-crunching thud and went instantly limp.
I stood frozen, my jaw dropping.
"Titan?!" I gasped, staring down at the massive dog standing proudly over the unconscious thug, his tail giving a triumphant wag.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs outside, and a second later, Roman burst into the office, his gun drawn, scanning the room in a fraction of a second before his eyes locked onto me.
"Maya!" Roman shouted, rushing across the room and grabbing my shoulders, checking me frantically for injuries. "Are you hit? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" I stammered, my adrenaline crashing so hard my knees nearly buckled. I held up the USB drive between us. "I got the manifest. The file is right here."
Roman let out a long, shuddering breath, his hands sliding down my arms before pulling me into a fierce, protective embrace that caught me completely off guard. For a second, the billionaire crime lord melted away, leaving only a man who had nearly lost something irreplaceable.
"You're incredible," Roman murmured against my hair, his voice rough with suppressed emotion.
Before I could process the warmth of his arms or the absurdity of hugging a dangerous shipping tycoon in the middle of a cartel raid, the radio clipped to Roman’s tactical vest crackled to life.
May you like
“Boss, perimeter is secure,” Julian’s voice reported over the comms. “Federal marshals are pulling into the yard right now. We've got the entire syndicate roster locked down.”
Roman pulled back, looking down into my eyes with a fierce, burning intensity. "It's over, Maya. They're done."
