The gunshot cracked through the air, a deafening finality to years of conflict. Robert’s body jerked back, his mouth parting in shock as the impact sent him stumbling.
His eyes widened as he crumpled to the ground, the force of the bullet throwing him off balance.
The remote he’d been holding slipped from his lifeless fingers, clattering onto the cold concrete floor with an ominous echo that seemed to hang in the air.
Lucas barely heard it over the blood rushing in his ears. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, his heart pounding in his throat as his body trembled with adrenaline. His hand gripped the gun tighter, still trained on Robert’s fallen body.
He braced himself, expecting the explosion. Expecting everything to end in a fiery inferno that would wipe out the room, his men, a
