The Carnation on the Marble Floor

Time seemed to slow down. Rachel watched the betrayal unfold with horrified clarity. Gabriel didn't hesitate. He pushed Rachel and Lily violently behind him, shielding them with his own body just as Marco pulled the trigger.

The suppressed gunshot was a quiet, deadly pop. Gabriel grunted, his massive frame staggering backward as the bullet struck him in the left shoulder.

"No!" Rachel screamed, terror ripping through her chest.

Despite the impact, Gabriel raised his rifle with his uninjured arm and fired a three-round burst. Marco collapsed backward onto the marble stairs, dead before he hit the ground.

Gabriel fell to one knee, dropping the rifle, his right hand clutching his bleeding shoulder. "Get to the safe room," he ground out, blood staining his white shirt. "Go."

"I am not leaving you!" Rachel yelled, grabbing his good arm and hauling him upward with a strength born of pure adrenaline. "Walk, Gabriel! Walk!"

Together, they stumbled down the hallway, Lily clinging tightly to Rachel’s leg. They reached the hidden panel behind a massive tapestry in the east wing. Rachel punched in the code Gabriel had taught her, and the heavy steel door slid open.

They collapsed inside the small, reinforced panic room. The door slammed shut, plunging them into dimly lit security.

Rachel immediately tore off her cream blouse, revealing a plain white camisole beneath, and pressed the fabric hard against Gabriel’s bleeding shoulder.

"You’re an idiot," Rachel sobbed, the tears finally breaking through her shock. "You took a bullet for us."

Gabriel leaned his head back against the cold steel wall, his breathing ragged, a weak, bloody smile touching his lips. "Daniel took one for me. It’s only fair."