Chapter 174

Chapter 174
Sheryl's POV

Before I could say more—before I could tell him not to play hero—his deep eyes met mine, and he smiled. "I can only escape after you're safe."

Meeting his determined gaze, I finally nodded. "Okay."

"Don't be afraid," he reassured me. "And don't look back."

I watched him reload his gun with swift, practiced movements. He lifted me by the waist, his magnetic voice in my ear: "Ready?"

Despite my pale face and racing heart, I swallowed hard and nodded firmly. "Yes."

Though outnumbered and outgunned, I somehow felt safe with Rhett beside me.

Looking at my tense expression, he seemed both concerned and amused by my attempt to appear brave. His hand suddenly moved from my waist to my neck, pulling me down for a kiss.

I didn't resist. His cool lips and minty breath instantly calmed my pounding heart.

The kiss was light, just a gentle press against my lips and a quick sweep of his tongue before he pulled away, satisfied.

His hand returned to my waist as he gazed into my eyes.

"One."

I swallowed hard, fixing my gaze on the stairwell door.

"Two."

I clutched my shirt tighter, my knuckles turning white.

"Three!"

With a firm push at my waist, I sprinted toward the hallway and stairwell with everything I had. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Rhett standing tall from behind the counter, his arm extended as he fired.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

More shots rang out as a blur of movement rushed from the counter toward the hallway.

The man they called Pete instantly spotted me, his cruel eyes tracking my movement. I remembered the order he'd received—they wanted me. Even as he exchanged fire with Rhett, his gun barrel slowly shifted toward me.

Rhett's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his aim toward Pete's hand.

Just one more step...

I was about to reach the stairwell door when I caught sight of another man hiding in the corner, his gun aimed directly at Rhett.

My breath caught, my pace faltering for half a step.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three gunshots from different directions!

"ARGH!"

With a man's scream, a tall figure suddenly lunged toward me. Strong arms wrapped around me as I clearly heard the sound of a bullet impacting something solid, followed by Rhett's muffled groan in my ear.

The stairwell door slammed shut behind us, locking automatically.

The force of Rhett's momentum carried us both toward the wall. His hand protected my head, cushioning the impact as we collided with the concrete.

I stared up at him in shock, feeling his powerful heartbeat against my chest.

"R-Rhett?" My voice trembled, disbelief in my eyes.

I'd seen the bullet coming for me, and then...

"Rhett?" I called more urgently, my hands frantically searching his back. "Where are you hit? Are you wounded?"

"Don't move," he commanded, his voice low and strained.

I froze, raising my hands to check for blood.

The arms holding me slowly loosened as Rhett stepped back half a pace, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

Then relief showed on his face.

BANG!

Another explosion rocked the stairwell door, leaving a deep dent in the metal.

Before I could process what was happening, Rhett grabbed my hand and we raced down the stairs.

In the dim stairwell, I could barely see the path ahead, blindly following Rhett's lead as we descended floor after floor.

When we finally reached the underground parking garage, I heard police sirens wailing on the street above.

Rhett moved quickly, saying nothing as he led the way.

I followed closely, my eyes fixed on his back. The stairwell had been too dark to see clearly, but now in the garage lighting, I carefully examined him for injuries.

There seemed to be no wounds or bloodstains, yet I'd distinctly heard the bullet impact and Rhett's pained grunt.

We stopped beside a silver sports car. Rhett yanked open the passenger door and practically shoved me inside.

"Fasten your seatbelt," he ordered.

My mind blank with shock, I obeyed, quickly pulling the belt across my body.

"Where are you hurt?" I asked frantically. "We should go to a hospital."

"I'm fine," he replied, his face glistening with sweat, expression pained. "I'm wearing a bulletproof vest. The impact just knocked the wind out of me."

"Bulletproof vest?" I echoed in surprise.

What kind of person routinely wears body armor? Unless... unless this kind of life-or-death situation wasn't unusual for him in Italy.

"There's painkillers in the glove compartment," he said with a strained smile. "Get me a couple. They might still come after us."

"Right!" I quickly found the pills and handed them to him. Just as he swallowed them, we heard movement at the garage entrance.

Rhett's POV

I slid into the driver's seat and started the engine in one fluid motion.

BANG!

A bullet struck the rear of the car as I threw the wheel to one side, using my free hand to push Sheryl's head down.

"Keep your head down," I ordered.

The sports car shot out of the parking garage and roared down the street, with the rumble of several motorcycles quickly filling the rearview mirror.

I glanced at the bikes gaining on us and smirked with contempt. They weren't even trying to be subtle about targeting us.

The sound of automatic weapons fire erupted from the motorcycles. I spun the wheel sharply, causing the bullets to miss and hit nearby buildings, triggering explosions of concrete and glass.

I executed several rapid drifts, pushing the sports car to its limits. My hands gripped the steering wheel, veins prominent as I made split-second decisions.

Feeling Sheryl's intense gaze, I glanced down at her. She was curled up in the footwell like a frightened kitten, her head barely peeking up, confusion written across her face.

"Scared?" I asked.

Before she could answer, I yanked the wheel into another hard turn that would have thrown her across the car if not for her seatbelt.

She looked at my calm face with its hint of a smile and shook her head. "No. Not scared."

I saw something in her eyes—a resignation, almost. As if she'd decided that if death came for us both, at least we'd face it together.

A moment later, she sighed heavily, as though some other worry had occurred to her.

Misinterpreting her sigh, I raised an eyebrow. This woman who had fearlessly charged toward danger moments ago was now afraid?

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "Just stay down and you'll be fine."

With one hand on the wheel, I reached into my pocket and tossed her a phone. "Call Anthony."

She immediately understood, catching the phone and unlocking it with my fingerprint.

As she scrolled through the contacts, she suddenly looked up. "Where are we now?"

By then, I'd already retrieved another gun from the car and was loading it one-handed. When the call connected, I glanced at the phone.

"We're heading for the highway," I said directly. "First exit northbound, intercept two hundred kilometers."

Anthony's reply was immediate: "On it, boss."

As I hung up, Sheryl watched me steering with my right hand to avoid bullets from behind. The car fishtailed ninety degrees, and in that same motion, I extended my left arm through the partially lowered window, firing several precise shots at our pursuers.

The gunfire from behind diminished significantly. As they dodged my bullets, they redirected their automatic weapons toward the passenger side.

Seeing bullets about to strike Sheryl's window, I slammed on the brakes and executed a perfect tail slide, repositioning the car so the bullets hit the trunk instead.

As the car straightened, I fired several more shots toward our pursuers. One of them was hit, visibly slowing down. With the sports car's acceleration, we quickly pulled away from them.

"My people will meet us," I said, eyes fixed on the road ahead and the mirror alternately. "We just need to shake these guys first."

I glanced at Sheryl, who was watching me with a mixture of fear, admiration, and questions in her eyes.

The highway entrance appeared ahead. Freedom was just moments away, if our pursuers didn't close the gap first.

"Hold on," I warned, flooring the accelerator. "This might get rough."