Diana gripped my hand tighter, her palm sweaty with adrenaline. "We’re moving. Now!"
She fired three quick shots toward a shadow she saw near a broken window, the muzzle flashes lighting up the corridor like lightning.
Then she pulled forward in a low crouch, shielding my body with her own as bullets continued chewing through the walls above our heads, showering us with clouds of plaster dust and concrete fragnts.
A large floor-to-ceiling window just behind us shattered completely in a deafening explosion of glass as a sniper round passed literally inches from my head — the supersonic crack so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst.
Grace took point ahead of us, gun raised and steady despite the chaos. "This way! Underground exit!"
Another guard running just ahead of us was suddenly hit by a sniper shot that tore through two windows in a straight line.
The high-velocity round struck him dead-center in the neck. He gurgled horribly, eyes wide with shock as bright red blood poured between his fingers. He collapsed right in our path, twitching once before going still. Diana didn’t even slow down — she simply stepped over his dying body without hesitation, still holding my hand in a death grip.
"Stay right beside , Dexter," she growled, her voice tight with raw tension and sothing deeper — fear. "Don’t you dare get hit. I swear to God, if anything happens to you..."
More gunfire erupted from both ends of the hallway now, a deadly crossfire. Windows continued exploding in a horrifying symphony of shattering glass and screaming tal fras.
A final sniper round punched straight through the wall right next to my face, sending sharp concrete shards flying across my cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. Diana imdiately shoved forward harder, practically throwing her own body in front of mine to shield completely.
The once-quiet, luxurious corridor had turned into an absolute slaughterhouse — broken glass crunching loudly under our shoes with every step, blood splattered in grotesque patterns across the walls and floor, bodies of Diana’s loyal n and won lying motionless in rapidly growing pools of red. The tallic sll of blood mixed with gunpowder was overwhelming.
But as we finally crossed the last stretch of hallway and burst through the heavy underground exit door, slamming it shut behind us —
We froze.
Inside the dimly lit underground corridor, a woman was standing calmly among a group of ard attackers — the very people who had just been trying to kill us. She held a rifle loosely, her expression a mix of guilt and cold determination.
Diana’s eyes widened in pure shock and betrayal. "Katrina... what the fuck?!"
Katrina — one of Diana’s most trusted inner-circle operatives — lowered her gaze for a mont before looking back up. Her voice was shaky but resolute.
"Boss... I’m sorry... I really am. But they promised to release my mother from prison if I help them. She’s been rotting in there for eight years because of . I... I couldn’t say no. They gave the location, the codes, everything. I’m sorry, Boss... I didn’t have a choice."
Grace’s face twisted with rage. She raised her gun instantly. "You fucking bitch! How dare you betray the Boss?! After everything she’s done for you?! You piece of shit traitor!"
Diana’s hand tightened around mine so hard it almost hurt. I could feel her entire body trembling — not from fear for herself, but pure terror that I might get hurt in the middle of this. She instinctively stepped in front of , pushing behind her back with her free arm while keeping her own gun trained on Katrina.
"Stay behind , Dexter," she hissed urgently, her voice cracking with worry. "Don’t move. If they shoot, they’ll have to go through first. I won’t let them touch you. Not you. Never you."
Her breathing was fast and shallow. The usually fearless, dominant Diana looked genuinely afraid — not for her empire or her own life, but for mine. Her eyes kept flicking between Katrina and , making sure I was completely shielded by her body.
Katrina took a small step forward, her voice pleading. "Boss, please... they said they’d let my mom go free. I had to do it. I didn’t want to hurt you... But family is family. You of all people should understand that."
Diana’s jaw clenched. "You sold us out... " You sold him out," she snarled, glancing back at protectively.
"If even one bullet touches Dexter because of you, I will make sure you watch your mother die slowly before I kill you myself. That’s a promise."
Grace was still aiming at Katrina’s head, finger twitching on the trigger. "Boss, give the order. Let put a bullet in this backstabbing whore right now."
The ard n behind Katrina raised their weapons in perfect synchronization, the tallic clicks of safeties being flipped off echoing coldly through the underground corridor.
Red laser sights danced across the walls and over Diana’s body like deadly fireflies. The tension in the air was so thick it felt suffocating — every breath felt heavy, every heartbeat thunderous.
Diana imdiately shoved further behind her, pressing her back tightly against my chest. She stood like a shield made of flesh and fury, refusing to let even an inch of my body be exposed. Her smaller fra was all that stood between and a hail of bullets. I could feel her heart hamring violently against her ribs, yet she refused to move.
Her free hand reached back and gripped my shirt tightly, fingers digging into the fabric as if she was afraid I might disappear. She kept her gun trained steadily on Katrina, but her entire focus was on protecting .
Her voice dropped to a dangerous, trembling whisper ant only for my ears as she squeezed my hand so hard it hurt:
"I love you, Dexter... stay right here. No matter what happens... I’m not letting them hurt you. Not a single scratch. I’d rather die than let anything happen to you."
There was raw, desperate fear in her voice — not for herself, but pure terror at the thought of getting shot. The fearless, dominant woman who had just orchestrated the brutal humiliation of Linda and Selena was now trembling slightly, using her own body as a human shield for the man she loved.
The betrayal hung heavy in the air like poison. Katrina stood there with guilt etched across her face, yet she didn’t lower her weapon. The ard n behind her waited for the order, fingers resting on triggers, ready to turn the narrow corridor into a bloodbath.
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