Chapter 5

Genevieve covered the final ten yards in a blur. Her bare feet slipped slightly on the polished marble step of the podium, but she forced her momentum forward, driving her legs hard.

Senator Harrington turned her head toward the sound of the crashing tray. Her elegant expression shifted to pure confusion as she saw the disheveled woman charging directly at her.

Agent Foster, the lead security detail standing beside the podium, reacted instantly to the sudden movement. His hand flew to his holstered weapon as he stepped aggressively into Genevieve's path to intercept her.

Genevieve knew she couldn't outmaneuver a trained professional with brute force. Without breaking stride, she snatched the Senator's water glass from the podium and smashed it against the marble. She hurled the shards and water directly at Foster's face. The agent instinctively raised his arms and turned his head to protect his eyes from the flying shards. Capitalizing on that single, crucial split-second of distraction, Genevieve ducked hard. She dropped her center of gravity, slipping right under Foster's outstretched arm. It was a desperate, ungraceful maneuver, but it bypassed the trained agent.

She lunged directly at the Senator. Her hands grasped the older woman's shoulders with surprising, adrenaline-fueled strength.

Genevieve shoved Senator Harrington violently to the right. The force sent them both tumbling off balance, crashing toward the heavy velvet curtains behind the stage.

A suppressed gunshot echoed through the cavernous ballroom. It wasn't a loud bang, but a sharp, deadly thwip that cut cleanly through the ambient noise of the crowd.

The bullet, intended for the Senator's heart, tore through the empty space they had just vacated. It found a new target in the chaos.

Genevieve felt a massive, concussive impact high on her left shoulder. The kinetic force spun her body around like a discarded ragdoll.

A searing, blinding heat erupted in her chest. The pain was so absolute and sudden that it instantly knocked the breath completely from her lungs.

She crashed hard onto the wooden stage floor. The heavy trench coat tangled around her legs. The world tilted violently on its axis, the chandelier lights blurring into streaks of white.

Senator Harrington fell beside her. The older woman was shaken but completely unharmed. Her eyes widened in absolute horror as she looked at Genevieve. A dark, wet stain of blood was rapidly blooming across the shoulder of the grimy trench coat.

Panic erupted in the ballroom. Guests screamed in terror. Men and women dove under banquet tables. Multiple security agents drew their weapons simultaneously, scanning the upper catwalks.

"Shooter on the catwalk!" Agent Foster bellowed into his wrist microphone. He threw his own body over Senator Harrington, pinning her to the floor to provide secondary cover.

Genevieve pressed her trembling right hand against her left shoulder. Her fingers sank into the torn fabric and came away slick with hot, sticky blood.

The pain was a living thing, threatening to drag her into unconsciousness. She bit her lower lip hard. She used the sharp sting of her teeth cutting into her own flesh to anchor her fading mind.

The heavy double doors at the back of the ballroom burst open. A highly tactical, heavily armed extraction team flooded the room. They moved with terrifying, silent precision.

Rick Sullivan, Colten Dawson's personal aide and chief of security, led the tactical team straight to the podium. His face was a mask of cold, ruthless efficiency.

Rick assessed the situation in a fraction of a second. He confirmed the Senator was safe under Foster. Then his sharp gaze landed on the bleeding woman in the trench coat.

He barked orders into his comms, directing a sniper team to the roof to hunt the assassin. Simultaneously, he called for immediate medical evac.

Senator Harrington grabbed Rick's sleeve. Her voice trembled, but it remained authoritative. "Save her, Rick. She took the bullet for me."

Rick knelt beside Genevieve. His gloved hands grabbed the collar of the trench coat and tore it open to assess the entry wound on her shoulder.

Genevieve flinched violently away from the rough contact. Her survival instincts flared, screaming at her to fight. But Rick pinned her good shoulder down firmly against the floor. He applied a thick trauma dressing directly to the bullet hole with brutal efficiency.

"Hold still, or you'll bleed out before we hit the doors," Rick ordered. His voice was completely devoid of emotion. He pressed down hard, applying agonizing pressure to the wound.

Genevieve gasped. Her vision narrowed to a dark tunnel as the rapid blood loss began to critically drop her blood pressure.

Two tactical medics arrived with a collapsible canvas stretcher. They swiftly transferred Genevieve onto it with practiced, synchronized movements.

As they lifted her, the trench coat fell open further. The ruined, blood-soaked emerald silk gown was exposed beneath it. Rick Sullivan frowned, his eyes narrowing at the expensive fabric hidden under the trash.

Genevieve was rushed through the service corridors. The fluorescent lights overhead strobed like a nightmare. The medics shouted her dropping vitals back and forth.

She heard the deep roar of an armored medical transport waiting in the loading dock. The heavy back doors were flung wide open.

As the medics slid her stretcher into the back of the transport, Genevieve finally allowed her eyes to close. She sank into a dark, pain-filled void. Her shoulder was on fire, but a small, grim smile touched her lips. Her gamble had paid off.