MY HUSBAND'S SECRET SIDE CHICK

THE STANDOFF

The air in the penthouse froze instantly. My husband didn't hesitate, the second his mother's words left her elegant, poisonous mouth, Ethan moved. He threw his massive body sideways, completely shielding both Natalie and I from the line of fire. His chest heaved as he stared down at the four red laser sights painted across his tailored shirt

"Get out of my house, mother." Ethan said, his voice dropping into a register so dangerously low it made the floorboards vibrate. "You have exactly five seconds to order your men to lower their weapons before I forget you gave birth to me."

The Blackwood Matriarch laughed, a soft, musical sound that lacked any human warmth. She picked up her wine glass again, swirling the dark, crimson liquid. "Oh, Ethan. You always were too emotional for your own good. Look at you, throwing away a multi-billion-dollar legacy for a girl who doesn't even know her own real name."

"My name is Laura," I snapped, stepping out from behind Ethan's shoulder despite his desperate hand reaching back to push behind. The fear that had paralyzed me this morning was completely gone, replaced by a cold, sharp rage. "And I know exactly who you are, you're a murderer. You ordered the fire that killed my biological parents."

The Matriarch's cold eyes snapped to mine. For a fraction of a second, her perfect, aristocratic mask cracked. A lethal glint flared in her eyes. "You should be thanking me little orphan, if I hadn't arranged for the Sterlings to take you in, you would've starved in the slums fifteen years ago. I gave you a life of luxury."

"You bought her like property to protect a corporate secret!" Natalie screamed from behind me, her voice shook with pure grief. "You destroyed our family!"

"Silence!" One of the armed guards barked, stepping forward and raising his rifle directly toward Natalie's head.

Ethan didn't wait, he didn't talk, he didn't bargain. With speed of a striking predator, Ethan lunged forward. He didn't draw his gun, he grabbed the heavy, solid marble coffee table in the center of the room and flipped it with a loud roar of fury. The massive stone slab crashed into the two lead guards, crushing their legs and sending them flying backwards onto the glass floor.

Silenced gunfire erupted through the penthouse, the remaining two guards fired blindly as Ethan dove behind the flipped marble table, drawing his own black handgun from his waistband.

"Laura! Take Natalie and run to the kitchen elevator!" Ethan roared over the deafening sound of shattering glass as a bullet shattered the mirror behind us.

"The service key is in my coat pocket! Go!"

"Ethan, no! I'm not leaving you!" I screamed, my heart tearing in two as I watched a bullet graze his shoulder, tearing through the fabric of his shirt and leaving a streak of bright red blood.

"Go, Laura!" Ethan's eyes met mine through the chaos. They were wild, possessive and desperately terrified for my safety. "If they take you, I have nothing left to fight for! Run!"

Natalie grabbed my arm, her grip frantic and strong. "Laura, we have to go! He can handle them, but we are his weakness right now! If we stay here we're pinning him down!"

She was right, as long as we were standing in the open, Ethan was forcing himself to take bullets just to shield us. I swallowed a lump of terror in my throat, I reached into the pocket of Ethan's discarded suit jacket on the floor, my fingers wrapping around a heavy, silver electronic key card. "Hold on, Ethan," I whispered fiercely. I turned and bolted toward the narrow hallway leading to the luxury kitchen, dragging Natalie behind me. Behind us, the sound of Ethan's gun firing echoed three times, followed by the heavy thuds of groaning men. He was taking them down one by one, a brutal, protective force.

"Stop them!" the Matriarch's voice lost all its elegant calmness, screeching in pure rage. "Do not let the girl leave this building!" Footsteps pounded against the hardwood floor behind us. I didn't look back, we burst into the pristine, stainless-steel kitchen. In the far corner was a small hidden metal door, I slammed the silver key card against the biometric scanner, but it showed red. The scanner flashed aggressively. Access Denied.

"No, no, no!" I gasped, my fingers shook uncontrollably as I slammed the card against the glass again.

"Laura, they're coming!" Natalie yelled, pointing toward the kitchen entrance. One of the Matriarch's guards appeared in the doorway, his rifle raised, his eyes locked onto my chest. Before the guard could pull the trigger, a heavy metal frying pan flew through the air, smashing directly into his nose. The guard stumbled backward, his gun firing into the refrigerator.

Ethan bursting into the kitchen, his shoulder was bleeding heavily, his face covered in soot and sweat. He stepped on the guard's wrist, snapping the bone effortlessly to ensure he couldn't reach his weapon, then lunged toward the elevator door. He grabbed my hand, pressing my thumb against the biometric glass underneath his key card.

Beep. Green.

The heavy metal elevator doors slid open.

"Get in." Ethan ordered, shoving Natalie inside first. He turned to me, his large, blood-stained hands cupping my face. He leaned down and kissed me, a hard, desperate, possessive kiss that tasted of copper and fire. It was a promise, a vow written in blood. "I'll draw the rest of her security detail to the roof. Take the elevator to the basement, use the black sedan in bay 4. The keys are inside the visor, drive to the old industrial sector, hide in plain sight."

"Ethan, come with us," I begged, tears finally streaming down my cheeks as I gripped his wrist. "Please."

"I have to destroy her tracking system first or she'll follow you anywhere in this city," Ethan murmured, his forehead head resting against mine for one agonizing second. "I love you, Laura. You are my wife and no one touches what is mine."

He pulled back and slammed his head against the door control. The metal doors slid shut, cutting of the image of my husband turning back toward the danger, his gun raised, ready to tear his own family apart to keep me free.

The elevator descended violently, my heart officially changed. The billionaire families who thought they owned us had just unleashed a war. And as the elevator hit the dark basement garage, I looked at Natalie, my jaw tightened. I was done running. It was time to fight back.