Chapter 9 - The Garden Confrontation
The lead mercenary raised his suppressed rifle, aiming directly at Lily!
Adrian surged forward with terrifying speed, slamming the heavy bronze statue into the gunman’s jaw!
CRACK!
The man went down hard, his rifle clattering across the marble tiles of the fountain.
The second mercenary spun around, bringing his weapon up, but Adrian seized the man’s wrist, twisting it violently until the bones popped! Adrian drove a brutal knee into the attacker's ribs, throwing him headfirst into the stone basin of the fountain!
SPLASH!
The third gunman, standing near the rose bushes, raised a heavy sidearm, aiming straight at Adrian’s chest!
"Adrian!" Nora shrieked from the grass.
In that fraction of a second, Lily—standing right behind the third gunman—reached out her tiny foot and kicked a heavy terra-cotta flowerpot directly into the back of his knee!
The mercenary stumbled, his shot firing wildly into the air!
BANG!
The momentary distraction was all Adrian needed. He closed the distance, grabbed the gunman by his tactical vest, and drove him violently back against the brick garden wall!
THUD!
The man dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Engines roared across the lawn as two black Mercer Ridge security SUVs skidded to a halt on the grass. Marcus Bell and six heavily armed guards piled out, weapons drawn, securing the perimeter within seconds.
Marcus ran over to Adrian, who was breathing heavily, his suit jacket torn, his knuckles bruised.
"Boss! Are you hit?" Marcus asked urgently.
"I’m fine," Adrian panted, stepping over the fallen mercenaries. "Secure these men. Turn them over to the FBI. The Kovacs Syndicate just sealed their own execution."
Adrian turned toward the fountain.
Lily was standing beside the broken flowerpot, clutching her stuffed rabbit, looking up at him with big, round eyes.
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Adrian walked over, dropped to his knees in the damp grass, and pulled the little girl into a tight, warm embrace. Lily wrapped her small arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.
Nora ran over, throwing her arms around both of them, weeping tears of relief as the autumn wind swept across the safe, quiet gardens.
