Chapter 3 - The Bloodbath at the Obsidian
Panic exploded across the dining room. Screams ripped through the air as three hundred elite patrons hit the floor, scrambling over velvet chairs, trampling expensive designer coats, and crawling toward the exits. Gunfire erupted from the shadowy corners of the restaurant as hidden assassins, primed for the 8:55 North exit trap, realized their ambush had been prematurely sprung and opened fire blindly into the room.
Evelyn hit the marble floor behind the service station, shards of crystal glass raining down around her head like deadly hail. The deafening roar of automatic gunfire vibrated straight through her chest.
"Stay down!" a deep, gravelly voice barked above the din.
Through the haze of gun smoke and flying debris, Evelyn saw Lorenzo Moretti standing tall amidst the chaos. He had dragged Celeste up by her emerald dress, using her shuddering body as a human shield while firing a suppressed pistol with his free hand. Two masked gunmen burst through the heavy kitchen doors, weapons raised, but Lorenzo dropped them both with cold, clinical precision before they could even squeeze their triggers.
More gunfire shredded the mirrored wall behind the bar, sending lethal glass shards flying everywhere.
"Boss! The East stairwell is blocked!" Viktor roared over the gunfire, pumping a shotgun shell into a third attacker trying to flank them from the balcony. "They locked the service corridor! We're trapped!"
Lorenzo’s dark eyes swept the room, ignoring the bullets pinging off the brass railing inches from his face. His gaze cut across the shattered dining room, slicing through the smoke until it locked directly onto Evelyn, who was cowering behind the overturned service station.
He didn't hesitate.
With Viktor laying down suppressing fire, Lorenzo dragged a weeping, hysterical Celeste across the blood-slicked marble floor, kicking aside a fallen table as he charged straight toward Evelyn’s hiding spot.
"Get up," Lorenzo commanded, his voice dark and absolute.
"I—I can't, I work here, I don't know anything—" Evelyn stammered, paralyzed by terror.
"You know how to read a room, and you know how to write a warning," Lorenzo interrupted, his eyes boring into her soul with terrifying intensity. He grabbed the collar of her uniform shirt with his free hand and hoisted her to her feet with one arm as if she weighed nothing. "And right now, that makes you the smartest person in this building. Move!"
They sprinted toward the kitchen service doors just as a heavy explosion rocked the lobby behind them, blowing the front entrance wide open. Plaster, dust, and smoke filled the air, choking Evelyn’s lungs. She coughed violently, her legs shaking so badly she could barely stay upright, but Lorenzo’s iron grip on her arm propelled her forward into the labyrinthine back corridors of the Obsidian.
They burst into the loading dock where two bullet-riddled black SUVs idled with their doors wide open. Viktor and another armed enforcer covered the rear, firing rapid bursts back down the hallway to keep the surviving assassins at bay.
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"Get in," Lorenzo ordered, shoving Celeste into the back seat of the lead vehicle before throwing Evelyn in beside her.
As Lorenzo slammed the armored door shut and dived into the passenger seat, the driver punched the gas. The SUV smashed through the security gate of the loading dock, sending metal bars flying, and rocketed out into the freezing Chicago night just as the entire front facade of the Obsidian erupted in a massive, secondary fireball.
