Chapter 18 - blood on the marble
The lobby was a chaotic nightmare of freezing water, thick foam, and flying bullets. Gabriel moved flawlessly through the haze, disarming the explosive charges one by one with surgical precision. Only ten seconds remained on the final detonator when a massive figure tackled him from the side. It was El Fantasma. The heavily scarred cartel boss drove a serrated combat knife deep into Gabriel’s shoulder. Gabriel grunted in absolute agony but refused to yield. He violently twisted his body, trapping the cartel leader's arm and delivering a brutal, bone-crushing elbow to his jaw. Blood splattered across the pristine marble floor. Above them, the final C4 timer ticked down to three seconds. With a desperate, primal roar, Gabriel ripped the detonator wires free, completely neutralizing the explosive threat just in the nick of time. El Fantasma lunged again, but Gabriel was faster. He drew his sidearm and fired two definitive, tactical shots directly into the cartel boss's chest. The ruthless kingpin collapsed into the freezing water, his reign of terror finally extinguished. Gabriel stood over the body, breathing heavily, bleeding profusely, but absolutely victorious for his family.
👉 how will tessa and salvatore react to gabriel's ultimate victory?
