Free Web NovelChapter 74: "Sweet Dreams"
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Alice’s and Daria’s terrified screams tore through the rain as a thick spray of crimson erupted from the lead attacker’s skull.
The bullet punched cleanly through his head, and he crumpled onto the soaked asphalt before his body had even finished twitching.
The remaining mercenaries reacted instantly.
The shock of the driver’s retaliation lasted less than a heartbeat before every weapon in the perimeter snapped toward him.
"Goddammit!"
"Kill him!"
"Shoot him dead!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
A storm of gunfire erupted, but the Lombardi driver had anticipated exactly that response.
Dropping low behind the sedan’s engine block, he used the reinforced body as cover while bullets hammered into the metal above him.
Without wasting a second, he leaned out just enough to acquire the two nearest gunmen on the left flank.
BANG! BANG!
Two precise shots.
Both bullets struck squarely between their eyes.
The mercenaries collapsed where they stood, their rifles clattering across the rain-slick pavement.
Unfortunately, the ambush had been too thoroughly prepared.
One gunman had already slipped around the rear of the sedan, moving silently into the driver’s blind spot.
The driver’s awareness flared—
He began whipping his pistol toward the shadow behind him—
The mercenary had already pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Blood burst violently into the rain.
The loyal Lombardi driver collapsed onto the asphalt, his skull shattered by the point-blank shot.
In that very instant, Aren moved.
She swept low across the ground, her leg scything into the ankles of the two nearest attackers while both fists shot upward, smashing into their wrists and violently knocking their weapons off target.
BANG! BANG!
The panicked shots tore harmlessly into the storm-darkened sky.
"Bitch!"
"What the—"
Neither man had time to recover.
Aren’s legs struck again with explosive precision, driving into their diaphragms.
The air vanished from their lungs.
Their fingers spasmed.
Both firearms slipped from suddenly powerless hands.
Aren rolled across the rain-soaked pavement, snatching up the fallen pistols without breaking her momentum.
Bracing herself against the side of the sedan, she raised both weapons in one fluid motion.
BANG! BANG!
The two gasping mercenaries collapsed instantly.
Before their bodies even hit the ground, Aren had already shifted her aim toward two more men who were bringing their rifles to bear.
BANG! BANG!
Both dropped into the rain before their fingers could finish squeezing their triggers.
She immediately ducked back behind cover.
’Two down from the driver.’
’Two down from my initial sweep.’
’Two down from the flank.’
’Six eliminated.’
’Ten active hostiles remaining.’
Through vision that was growing increasingly blurred around the edges, she saw several of the survivors scatter, attempting to use the opposite side of the Lombardi sedan as cover.
Aren didn’t hesitate.
Both arms extended outward in opposite directions.
BANG!
’Nine.’
BANG!
’Eight.’
BANG!
Her hands trembled ever so slightly as she squeezed the trigger again.
’Ah... damn me.’
’I’m getting sleepy again.’
BANG!
The relentless gunfire was suddenly pierced by Alice’s panicked screams.
Having exited from the same side of the vehicle as Aren, the maid had an unobstructed view of the carnage unfolding only a few feet away. She stood frozen, horrified beyond words.
Aren noticed immediately and lowered herself into a deeper crouch.
"Hey, Alice," she called calmly. "Take a breath. Get inside the car and close the door. Stay there until I finish dealing with this."
"My lady!" Alice shrieked. "Watch out!"
A mercenary vaulted over the sedan’s hood.
Aren didn’t even blink.
From her low position, both wrists snapped upward.
BANG! BANG!
Twin blossoms of crimson exploded across the man’s chest.
His body crashed backward onto the hood with a deafening metallic thud.
Suddenly—
Another scream ripped through the rain.
"My lady! Help! Help me! They have me!"
It was Daria.
A harsh voice instantly cut across her cries.
"Shut up, you stupid bitch!"
One of the remaining mercenaries fired three warning shots into the sky, his fury barely contained after watching so many of his comrades fall.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"ARIANA LOMBARDI!" he roared. "Come out with your hands raised right now, or this bitch gets a bullet through her brain!"
"Oh no," Aren murmured. "Daria’s on the other side."
She immediately turned back toward Alice. "Hurry. Open the door. Get inside. Stay low. Don’t come out unless I open it."
"Y-Yes, my lady!"
Alice fumbled desperately with the heavy rear door.
With trembling hands, she managed to pull it open before scrambling inside like a frightened animal, slamming it shut behind her.
With Alice safely inside the armored vehicle, another crushing wave of dizziness swept through Aren.
This one was worse — far worse.
Her knees nearly buckled as overwhelming lethargy threatened to shut down her body altogether.
Without hesitation, she slammed the back of her head against the side of the sedan.
THWACK!
’Focus.’
’They came for me.’
’They need me alive.’
’They won’t kill me.’
Reaching her conclusion, Aren tucked both stolen pistols into the back waistband of her jeans, concealing them beneath her damp cardigan.
Then, she slowly rose to her feet — carefully, deliberately, making certain none of the gunmen noticed the hidden weapons.
"My guns are out of bullets," she said, raising both empty hands high above her head in surrender. "I’m unarmed. Don’t hurt her."
On the opposite side of the sedan, only four mercenaries remained. One held Daria with an iron grip, the muzzle of his pistol pressed tightly against her temple.
The maid had become a trembling wreck, tears mingling with the rain streaming down her face.
"My lady!" Daria cried.
"Shut up!"
The man jammed the barrel even harder against her head before jerking his chin toward the three remaining gunmen.
"Search that bitch!" he barked. "HURRY UP!"
Two of the remaining mercenaries immediately stepped forward, their weapons trained on Aren as they closed the distance.
She kept both hands raised in surrender.
Beneath the loose drape of her damp cardigan, the stolen pistols remained hidden against the small of her back, completely concealed from their view.
The first man reached her, wrapping a firm hand around her wrist.
"Excuse us, Miss Lombardi," he said. "Orders are orders."
The instant his fingers closed around her skin, Aren’s compliance disappeared.
She pivoted with his momentum instead of resisting it, swinging her body around his frame and locking herself against his back.
In one seamless movement, she turned him into a living shield as her free hand darted beneath the cardigan.
The concealed pistol flashed into view.
The barrel leveled toward the mercenary holding Daria hostage.
BANG!
The man’s head snapped backward.
Before his body even began to fall—
BANG!
The final commander standing beside him crumpled as a second bullet punched through the center of his forehead.
The last surviving mercenary reacted on instinct. His rifle barked wildly toward Aren, but the man she clung to absorbed every shot.
By the time the burst ended, Aren had already slipped beneath the collapsing body. She rolled across the rain-soaked asphalt, came up on one knee, and calmly raised her pistol. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
BANG!
The final gunman dropped dead before he struck the ground.
The alley fell into a horrific silence.
Only the relentless rhythm of rain remained, drumming against steel roofs and pooling across the blood-soaked pavement.
Aren staggered toward the sedan, planting both palms heavily against its hood as her chest rose and fell in ragged breaths.
’Oh God.’
’Not now.’
Sleep was becoming almost unbearable.
Around her, seventeen bodies now lay scattered across the grimy alley, including the loyal Lombardi driver.
Rain diluted the spreading blood into crimson rivers that crept through cracks in the concrete.
On the opposite side of the hood, Daria stood completely untouched.
Her face had gone pale as she stared blankly at the massacre surrounding her.
’Is this bitch for real?’
’How could she possibly pull that off?’
’Were the rumors about what she did at the Summit actually true?’
Daria bit down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
...Until her eyes settled on Aren.
The Lombardi heiress’s arms were trembling. She was leaning so heavily against the car that she could barely remain standing.
A slow smile crept across Daria’s lips.
’Ah... right.’
’The sedative.’
’She must be feeling it by now.’
’Perfect.’
The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by frantic concern as Daria hurried around the hood.
"Lady Ariana!" she cried, throwing an arm around Aren’s shoulders as though helping to support her weight. "Oh my God! Are you hurt anywhere? Talk to me!"
Aren blinked sluggishly, rainwater blurring her vision until the entire world seemed wrapped in mist.
She leaned almost completely against Daria.
"I’m... functioning, Daria."
Her words came slowly.
"Let’s... get inside now."
She struggled to stay focused.
"The... drivers... They’re still inside the SUVs. They... might come out."
Daria already knew they wouldn’t.
She had personally signaled them to remain inside, of course.
Still, Daria nodded urgently.
"Of course! Let’s get you somewhere safe."
She hurried to open the rear door.
Inside, Alice remained curled on the floorboards, still trembling uncontrollably.
The moment she saw them, tears flooded her eyes all over again.
"My lady! Daria!" she cried. "Are you both alright? Did they hurt you?"
Despite everything, Aren managed a faint smile.
"I’m okay, Alice. Let’s... let’s go back."
Hope blossomed across Alice’s tear-stained face.
She immediately reached both hands toward Aren, desperate to help pull her safely into the car.
The exact second Alice’s fingers brushed against Aren’s—
BANG!
Something hot exploded across the left side of Aren’s face.
Warm. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Metallic.
A thick spray of dark crimson.
Aren stopped breathing entirely.
Her eyes widened in absolute horror.
Right before her, a single bullet had torn directly through the center of Alice’s forehead. The hopeful smile remained frozen forever upon the maid’s delicate face.
Aren stared.
Just stared.
Around her, the entire world seemed to lose its gravity as she watched Alice’s body collapse backward with a heavy thud, hitting the opposite car door.
Slowly, very slowly, Aren turned her head.
A cold pistol barrel was aimed directly at her forehead, and right above it...
Daria.
All warmth, fear, and concern had vanished from the maid’s face, leaving only cold calculation.
"I’m incredibly sorry, my lady," Daria said quietly. "But your little hero show ends right here."
A sweet, triumphant smile curved Daria’s lips.
"Sweet dreams."
The pistol in her hand swung back, aiming straight for the side of Aren’s face—
THWACK!
