chapter 14.The Masked Savior
1309 Words
"Don't scream."
The masked stranger tightened his grip on Rose's wrist, his voice calm despite the chaos around them.
"I'm here to save you."
Rose hesitated.
Across the smoke-filled room, James was fighting three armed men at once. Every instinct screamed for her to run to him.
"I won't leave my husband," she said firmly.
The stranger's eyes narrowed behind his black mask.
"If you stay, you'll both die."
Before Rose could answer, another explosion rocked the underground facility.
Dust and debris rained from the ceiling.
Victor Sterling shouted orders to his men.
"Seal every exit! No one leaves alive!"
Gunfire erupted.
James disarmed one attacker with a powerful punch before grabbing the man's rifle. He fired two warning shots, forcing Victor's guards to take cover.
"Rose!" he shouted.
"I'm here!"
She tried to reach him, but the masked stranger held her back.
"Trust me."
"I don't even know who you are!"
"You will."
Suddenly, Daniel appeared through the smoke.
"There you are!"
He looked at the masked man and froze.
"You..."
The stranger gave Daniel a subtle shake of his head.
Daniel immediately understood.
He turned to Rose.
"Go with him."
Rose stared in confusion.
"You know him?"
Daniel nodded.
"He's on our side."
That was all James needed to hear.
He fought his way toward Rose, grabbing her hand the moment he reached her.
"If Daniel trusts him, I do too."
The masked stranger led them into a narrow maintenance tunnel hidden behind a collapsed wall.
Richard and Evelyn followed close behind.
Behind them, Victor's furious voice echoed through the bunker.
"Find them!"
"I don't care how many men it takes!"
"They cannot leave this place alive!"
The group sprinted through the dark tunnel.
After several minutes, they reached a heavy steel door.
The masked man entered a security code.
The door slid open.
Fresh air rushed inside.
Rose inhaled deeply.
They had escaped the bunker.
But they weren't safe.
A black helicopter waited on a deserted rooftop.
Its blades were already spinning.
The pilot waved urgently.
"We have less than sixty seconds!"
James turned to thank the masked stranger.
But the man had already removed his mask.
Everyone froze.
James's face turned pale.
"It can't be..."
Rose looked at the stranger, then back at James.
"You know him?"
James swallowed hard3.
"I watched him die... five years ago."
The stranger smiled sadly.
"No, James."
"They only wanted you to believe I was dead."
Silence swallowed the rooftop.
James stared at the man as if he had seen a ghost.
"No..." he whispered.
"You're dead."
The stranger let out a bitter laugh.
"I should be."
Rose looked between the two men, completely lost.
"James... Who is he?"
James's voice was barely audible.
"His name is Adrian Sterling."
"My older brother."
Rose's eyes widened.
"You have a brother?"
James nodded slowly.
"I did."
"I watched his car explode."
"I buried an empty coffin because there was nothing left to bury."
Adrian lowered his eyes.
"Victor planned it."
"He wanted everyone to believe I was dead."
James took a hesitant step forward.
"Why didn't you come back?"
"I couldn't."
"They kept me prisoner for years."
"They wanted the Sterling inheritance."
"And they needed me alive as insurance."
Rose covered her mouth in shock.
Everything James had believed for five years...
It was a lie.
Suddenly, the sound of engines filled the night sky.
Several black SUVs raced toward the building below.
Adrian looked over the edge.
"We have company."
James followed his gaze.
Victor's reinforcements.
"There are too many."
The helicopter pilot shouted, "We have to leave—now!"
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
"If we all board together, we'll never make it."
James frowned.
"What are you saying?"
"I'll hold them off."
"No."
James grabbed his brother's arm.
"I'm not losing you again."
Adrian smiled sadly.
"You already did once."
"I'm not letting it happen twice."
A loud gunshot echoed across the rooftop.
The bullet struck the helicopter's windshield.
The pilot ducked.
"They're here!"
Armed men poured onto the rooftop from the stairwell.
Victor stepped out behind them, clapping slowly.
"What a beautiful family reunion."
His cold smile settled on Adrian.
"I've been searching for you for years."
Adrian stepped in front of James and Rose.
"You'll have to go through me first."
Victor laughed.
"Oh, I intend to."
Then he raised his pistol...
And aimed it directly at Rose.
James reacted instantly.
"Rose!"
He threw himself toward her just as Victor pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the night.
For one terrifying second...
No one moved.
Then warm blood splashed across Rose's trembling hands.
She slowly looked up.
Her scream pierced the darkness.
"JAMES!"
My scream echoed across the rooftop.
Time seemed to stop.
James staggered backward, one hand pressed tightly against his chest.
Blood seeped through his white shirt, staining it a deep crimson.
"No..."
My legs gave way as I caught him before he hit the ground.
"Stay with me."
His breathing became uneven.
"I'm... okay."
"No, you're not!"
Tears blurred my vision as I pressed both hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Someone call an ambulance!"
Adrian knelt beside us.
"James."
His younger brother managed a weak smile.
"I finally found you..."
"I'm not letting you die."
Victor watched from across the rooftop, his expression unreadable.
"I wasn't aiming for his heart."
James looked up at him.
"You still..."
"...can't finish what you start."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Take them!"
His men charged forward.
Before they reached us—
The deafening roar of helicopters filled the night sky.
Powerful searchlights swept across the rooftop.
A voice boomed through loudspeakers.
"Drop your weapons immediately!"
More than a dozen tactical officers rappelled onto the roof from two helicopters.
Within seconds, Victor's men were surrounded.
Victor's smile faded.
"So..."
"It finally ends."
He slowly lowered his gun.
James looked at Adrian.
"You called them?"
Adrian nodded.
"I've been gathering evidence against Victor for years."
"I sent it to the authorities an hour ago."
The officers rushed forward, arresting Victor's men one after another.
Victor didn't resist.
Instead, he looked directly at Rose.
"This isn't over."
Rose met his cold gaze.
"It is."
"You've taken enough from my family."
Victor smiled faintly.
"You still don't know who your real enemy is."
Before anyone could question him, officers handcuffed him and led him toward the helicopter.
Rose barely noticed.
Her entire attention remained on James.
His face had grown pale.
His eyes were beginning to close.
"James!"
She gently held his face.
"Look at me."
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"You've been crying a lot lately."
She let out a shaky laugh through her tears.
"Because you keep scaring me."
He slowly reached up and wiped away a tear from her cheek.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"No."
"You promised you'd come home to me."
"I remember."
"Then keep your promise."
James looked into her eyes.
"I love you, Rose."
The words stole her breath.
For a moment...
The world around them disappeared.
The helicopters.
The flashing lights.
The shouting officers.
None of it mattered.
Only him.
Only the man she had married for a contract...
And fell in love with it for real.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
"I love you too, James."
"More than I ever thought possible."
James smiled peacefully.
Then his eyes slowly closed.
"James!"
Paramedics rushed onto the rooftop.
"He's lost too much blood!"
"Get him on the stretcher!"
As they carried him toward the waiting helicopter, Rose ran beside him, refusing to let go of his hand.
She whispered over and over,
"You promised."
"You promised you'd come back to me."
The helicopter lifted into the night sky.
Rose watched the city lights disappear beneath them.
She had finally found love.
Now...
She prayed she wouldn't lose it.
- Writer
