Chapter 10: The Shield**
Julian didn't hesitate. He spun Clara behind the concrete barrier and drew his sidearm in one fluid motion, returning fire. A high-caliber round grazed Julian’s shoulder, tearing through his jacket and drawing a line of searing fire across his flesh.
Ignoring the pain, Julian fired two controlled rounds into Richter’s armored vest, staggering the mercenary backward into the deep cooling vat basin. The impact sent Richter crashing into the maintenance railings, knocking his weapon into the dark water below.
Sirens wailed in the near distance as a fleet of Federal Bureau of Investigation vehicles, led by Agent Miller, burst through the facility gates, their spotlights cutting through the smoke and fog.
"Hold your fire! Federal agents!" Miller’s voice boomed over a megaphone.
Julian sank against the concrete wall, clutching his bleeding shoulder, breathing heavily. Clara knelt beside him, tearing a strip of cloth from her shirt to compress the wound.
"You took a bullet for us," she whispered, tears cutting through the grime on her face.
May you like
Julian managed a faint, tired smile. "I spent twenty years taking money from monsters, Clara. Taking a bullet for someone who actually matters is the easiest thing I’ve ever done."
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