Chapter 7 - THE AMBUSH IN THE DARK
The grand wine cellar beneath the main residence was a cavernous room built from 19th-century red brick, lined with thousands of rare vintage bottles stored on heavy oak racks.
The temperature was kept at a cool fifty-five degrees, and the room was bathed in dim, amber recessed lighting that cast long, ominous shadows across the stone floor.
Derek crept through the double oak doors of the wine cellar, his boots making a faint, wet squeak against the polished floorboards. His gun was raised with both hands, his finger resting nervously on the trigger.
"Harper!" Derek called out, his raspy voice echoing strangely off the brick walls. "I know you're down here, bitch! Show your face!"
Silence answered him.
"You think this mob bastard can protect you?" Derek shouted, stepping deeper into the labyrinth of oak wine racks. "He doesn't give a damn about you! You're just a maid to him! A piece of trash he picked up off his floor!"
CLICK.
The heavy double oak doors behind Derek suddenly slammed shut! The magnetic locks engaged with a heavy, metallic thud that sounded like a coffin lid snapping into place.
Derek spun around in horror, raising his pistol toward the entrance. "Who's there?!"
From the deep shadows at the far end of the cellar, a tall figure stepped forward into the dim amber light.
Gabriel Ashford stood calmly between two tall brick archways.
He was not wearing his suit jacket. He wore a black dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the dark, intricate tattoos of a crown and a dagger covering his right wrist.
In his hand, Gabriel held no weapon. His hands were loose, resting easily at his sides.
"You're loud, Detective," Gabriel said softly. His voice was cold, completely devoid of panic, echoing through the brick chamber like a death sentence. "And you have terrible manners."
Derek’s face twisted into an insane, violent sneer. He raised his 9mm pistol, pointing it directly at Gabriel’s chest!
"You ruined my life, Ashford!" Derek screamed, his arms shaking with rage and alcohol. "You leaked those files to Internal Affairs! You stole my wife!"
Gabriel didn't even blink at the barrel of the gun aimed at his heart. He took one slow, casual step forward.
"I didn't steal her, Lawson," Gabriel said quietly. "She fled from a coward who broke her bones in the dark. And as for your life... you ruined it the first time you raised your hand against her."
"Shut up!" Derek roared, his finger tightening over the trigger. "Where is she?! Give her to me, or I swear to God I'll put a bullet through your head right now!"
Gabriel smiled.
It was not a human smile. It was the terrifying, pitiless grin of a predator that had successfully lured its prey into a closed trap.
"You brought a toy gun to a slaughterhouse, Lawson," Gabriel whispered.
Before Derek could squeeze the trigger, a shadow dropped from the iron rafters directly behind him!
Vance smashed his massive, gloved fist into the back of Derek’s neck with the force of a sledgehammer!
CRACK!
Derek let out a choked scream as his face hit the brick floor hard, his pistol flying out of his hand and skidding across the polished stone into Gabriel’s waiting boot.
Gabriel casually kicked the weapon aside, stepping over the groaning man on the floor.
Derek scrambled onto his hands and knees, blood pouring from his broken nose, looking up in sheer terror as Vance stepped on his ankle, pinning him effortlessly to the ground.
Gabriel dropped to one knee beside Derek, his dark blue eyes locking onto the trembling former officer.
"Did you really think you could walk into my house unharmed?" Gabriel asked softly, reaching out and grabbing Derek by his hair, pulling his bleeding face up. "Did you think I would let the man who hurt Harper leave this basement on his own two feet?"
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"Please..." Derek gasped, terror finally crushing his arrogant bravado as he felt the cold, suffocating presence of absolute death standing over him. "Please... I'm a cop... you can't kill a cop..."
"You are not a cop anymore, Lawson," Gabriel whispered into his ear. "You are just dirt on my floor."
