FROM RAGS TO THE THRONE

Chapter Five – The First Shot (Part 2)

The echo of the gunshot hung in the air, like the city itself was holding its breath, Adrian’s instincts took over. He moved fast, shoving Vivienne and Damien down behind the heavy oak desk before his brain even processed who the bullet was meant for.

The faint acrid scent of gunpowder floated in from the street, mixing with the antiseptic tang of office air. Marcus’s voice crackled in his ear. "Target’s on the move, correction, two targets. One’s circling around the alley!"

Damien pulled his own piece from under his blazer, the black steel glinting in the soft lamplight. "They’re not amateurs," he said, chambering a round.

Vivienne, surprisingly steady, reached under the desk and produced a slim, matte-black pistol from a hidden compartment. She caught Adrian staring. "Don’t look at me like that, Kane," she said coolly. "This is Manhattan. You don’t get to my position without being ready for uninvited guests."

Adrian’s mind flicked between two scenarios: The shooters were here for him, The shooters were here for her.

Either way, the endgame smelled of Selena.

Another report rang out closer this time, sharp enough to make the glass in the windows hum. A sliver of plaster drifted from the ceiling, catching the lamplight like dust in a cathedral.

Marcus barked over the comms, "Second SUV just pulled up. Four more. I’m moving in, sir"

"Negative," Adrian cut him off. "Hold position. I need eyes, not bodies on the floor."

Damien was already moving toward the side door. "I’ll draw them away," he said.

Adrian caught his arm. "You step out there and they’ll paint the sidewalk with you."

Damien smirked faintly. "That’s why they won’t expect me to." He pulled free and was gone before Adrian could argue, slipping into the hallway like a shadow.

Vivienne rose to a crouch, pistol trained on the door. "We need an exit plan."

"There isn’t one," Adrian said. "Not unless we know which way they’re closing in."

He grabbed his phone and brought up the live feed from one of his private security networks, cameras covering a three-block radius.

Two black SUVs, one idling at the corner, the other pulled halfway onto the sidewalk. Men in dark clothing moved with deliberate precision, splitting into pairs.

His pulse stayed steady, years of calculated control keeping the fear buried deep, but the edges of his vision felt sharper, like his body knew the stakes even if his mind refused to panic.

Vivienne’s phone buzzed once. She glanced at it, then froze, Adrian caught the flicker in her expression. "What is it?"

She turned the screen toward him. A single text: "You can’t protect him forever."

No name. No number. Just a threat that could have been aimed at either of them, The front glass shattered before Adrian could respond, a spiderweb of cracks exploding inward. A man in a ski mask pushed through, raising his weapon, Vivienne fired first.

The shot punched the man back through the broken glass, his weapon clattering onto the sidewalk. Then all hell broke loose.