My Sinful Desire

Saving Her

He raised his hand, his thick, sweaty fingers sliding against my cheek before traveling down toward my waist. The physical contact triggered a violent spike of adrenaline in my veins. The feeling of his hands on me brought back every memory of submission and fear I had fought so hard to hide. I could not bear the violation for another second.

I pulled my arm back and slapped him hard across the face.

The loud crack of the slap cut through the immediate noise around the bar. The man stumbled backward, his hand flying to his reddening cheek. His face twisted with furious, red-hot rage. He let out a loud curse and lunged forward, his hands reaching out to grab my shoulders and pin me violently against the wooden counter.

Before his fingers could touch me, a blur of motion slammed into his side.

Archie had noticed the commotion from the other side of the room. He crossed the distance in a split second, his face dark with pure, unadulterated fury. He didn't say a word. He pulled his fist back and drove it straight into the man's jaw.

The punch was devastating. The drunk man crashed heavily onto the floor, blood instantly spilling from his split lip. He groaned, clutching his face as he rolled on the polished marble.

"Get up," Archie growled, standing over him like a wall. His knuckles were white, his entire body tense with a lethal energy.

The fallen man spat blood onto the floor and shouted toward the back VIP booths, calling for his personal securities. Within seconds, the atmosphere in the hall completely shattered. Four of his personal bodyguards rushed forward from the shadows. They did not hesitate. They reached inside their jackets and pulled out handguns, pointing them directly at Archie and the surrounding crowd.

Panic exploded through the room like wildfire. Women shrieked, dropping their glasses as people scrambled toward the main exits, knocking over chairs and tables in their desperation to escape the crossfire.

Matthew rushed over from the main dining section, his face a terrifying mask of lethal coldness. He didn't look at the chaos; his eyes were fixed on the threat against his son. He stepped right in front of Archie, his hand moving swiftly to the holster hidden beneath his suit jacket. His private security team immediately pulled their own weapons, aiming straight at the rival bodyguards. The entire dinner party turned into a deadly standoff in a matter of seconds, with dozens of loaded guns aimed at each other inside Matthew's own home.

In the middle of the frantic chaos, I completely lost my composure. The sight of the guns and the screaming crowd overwhelmed me. Terrified, I broke away from the bar and tried to run across the open space to reach the safety of the hallway, directly entering the line of fire between the two hostile groups.

One of the rival gunmen, startled by my sudden, frantic movement, panicked. He swung his weapon toward me and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

"Elena, move!" Archie shouted.

He did not hesitate for a single microsecond to protect me. Archie lunged forward, throwing his entire body across the open floor to shield me from the flying bullet. Archie slammed into me, pulling me down beneath his heavy frame just as the bullet tore through the space where I had been standing.

A sharp gasp escaped my throat as we hit the floor. I watched in absolute horror as blood instantly soaked through the sleeve of Archie's suit, dripping rapidly onto the floor. The bullet had torn straight through his upper arm.

The rival shooters realized what they had done. Panicking at the sight of Matthew's bleeding son, they turned and ran blindly toward the glass terrace doors. They scrambled outside into the courtyard, disappearing into the rainy night.

The remaining guests did not wait. Total madness took over the villa as everyone broke for the exits, screaming and running to escape the building. The dinner party was completely over.

I stayed on the floor, my hands trembling violently as I looked at the blood covering Archie's arm. He lay beside me, gritting his teeth in severe pain. I was shivering. "I'm sorry," I said to Archie as tears welled up in my eyes, my hands clinging to his arm.