Chapter 14 - Blood on the Marble
The pain flared hot and bright, but Julian’s adrenaline completely masked the severity of the wound.
Julian kicked out fiercely, his heavy boot connecting squarely with Silas’s kneecap, forcing the assassin to stumble backward.
Silas quickly recovered, spinning around and slashing the knife in a brutal, unpredictable arc.
Julian dodged the blade, but the distraction allowed Silas to knock the handgun out of Julian’s grip.
The heavy weapon clattered uselessly across the marble floor, sliding out of reach.
"You rely too much on your expensive toys, Rossi," Silas taunted, tossing the knife from his right hand to his left.
"I grew up in the gutter fighting for scraps, while you were drinking champagne on yachts."
Julian did not waste his breath trading insults; his only objective was absolute survival.
He lunged forward, tackling Silas around the waist and driving the assassin's back through an antique glass display case.
Shattered glass rained down upon them as they rolled across the floor in a brutal, desperate struggle.
Silas managed to free his arm, driving the hilt of his knife hard into Julian’s ribs, cracking the bone.
Julian gasped, the air rushing out of his lungs, but he refused to release his grip.
He wrapped his hands around Silas’s throat, squeezing with every ounce of his tremendous strength.
Silas’s eyes bulged, his face turning a dark shade of purple as he clawed frantically at Julian’s face.
Just as Silas began to lose consciousness, he managed to reach down and pull a concealed secondary weapon from his ankle holster.
A loud, deafening gunshot echoed through the grand hallway, completely shattering the quiet of the night.
Julian felt a burning, searing pain tear through his left shoulder.
The sheer force of the bullet knocked Julian off the assassin, sending him crashing onto the cold marble.
Silas gasped for air, stumbling to his feet, bleeding from multiple cuts on his face.
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He looked down at the wounded billionaire with absolute, triumphant disgust.
"I will tell your beautiful wife that you died begging for mercy," Silas spat.
