Chapter 9 - Falling Iron
Elena backed away slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on the three men. The edge of the open floor, fifty stories above the pavement, was only twenty feet behind her.
“This column is compromised,” Elena said, her voice remaining surprisingly steady. “If you pour the upper ten floors on this core, the building will pancake.”
“The building is fine,” the leader said, stepping closer. “What isn't fine is a waitress poking her nose into business that doesn't belong to her. Mr. Dominic told us to make sure you had an... accident on site today. A tragedy. An unfortunate fall from an open floor.”
Elena’s hand crept into her coat pocket, her fingers finding her cell phone. She hit the speed-dial button she had set three days ago.
Vance.
“Dominic is going to ruin this entire company,” Elena said loudly, trying to buy time while her phone connected in her pocket. “When this tower fails, the city will strip the Romano family of every construction permit they own!”
“Dominic will be far away with two hundred million in cash by then,” the man sneered, raising the iron pipe. “And you’ll be at the bottom of the foundation pit.”
The man rushed forward, swinging the heavy pipe toward her head.
Elena ducked beneath the swing, her dad’s old training kicking in—he had spent decades working around swinging iron beams, and agility was life. She slammed her heavy ultrasound scanner straight into the man’s kneecap.
He groaned, falling to one knee, but the second man grabbed her arms from behind, pinning her against a concrete pillar.
“Hold her!” the leader yelled, wiping blood from his lip as he stood back up. “Throw her off the ledge!”
They dragged her toward the wide-open floor boundary. The rain stung her face, the distant roar of city traffic echoing far below. Elena kicked and twisted, using all her strength, but the two men were too heavy.
Suddenly, a deafening shot shattered the air.
The man holding her right arm dropped instantly, clutching a shattered shoulder.
From the dark emergency stairwell, Vance Romano burst onto the floor, a smoking firearm in his hand. Behind him were Marco and four armed security team members.
Vance’s face was filled with a primal, terrifying rage that made the remaining construction workers freeze in absolute horror.
“Get away from her!” Vance roared.
Marco and the guards moved like shadows, tackling the two remaining men to the floor, disarming them, and pinning them down within seconds.
Vance sprinted across the concrete, dropping his gun as he reached Elena. He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her violently away from the edge of the open floor, wrapping his arms around her as if trying to shield her from the entire world.
“Are you hurt?” Vance demanded, his voice shaking—a sound Elena had never heard from him before. He held her face in his hands, examining her nervously. “Elena! Look at me! Are you hurt?”
“I’m... I’m okay,” Elena gasped, her hands trembling as she held onto his coat. “The column... Vance, Column 5B is fake. Dominic poured hollow concrete.”
May you like
Vance pulled her close against his chest, his head resting against hers as he breathed heavily.
“I don't care about the column,” Vance whispered, his cold exterior completely shattered. “I care about you.”
