Page 136 of Capuleto

The sudden screeching of wheels put me on alert. Luckily, I didn't shoot on impulse. It was a woman in a Twingo accelerating, probably startled by the gunshots.

I continued advancing between the vehicles, crouched, with all my senses attuned to any sound.

The hurried steps of shoe soles made me peek to the right. An elongated shadow scurried under a flickering fluorescent light. I saw him seeking the cover of a van belonging to an IT service company. I moved stealthily, taking the opposite side.

I made no noise. On the last flight of stairs, I had discarded my head shield and clogs because they hindered my agility. I was grateful for it now. The best way to avoid making sounds was to go barefoot.

I crouched. Sweat beaded my focused forehead. The damned glasses were fogging up; I had to push them onto my forehead to see better. I lay on the ground and glimpsed what I expected, those shoes that caught my attention because they didn't belong to a nurse. They were already mine.

I blew out his Achilles tendons. The sound of tearing tissue was accompanied by a scream of pain, echoing shamelessly off the grimy walls. In a crude attempt at retaliation, Yuri's man tried to reach me from his angle but failed. I had rolled into the improvised protection of the vehicle's rear wheel.

I stood up stealthily and used the rearview mirror of a nearby vehicle to finish him off.

The bullet pierced his skull. He dropped dead.

I moved to him and checked his shoe size. Walking barefoot in the parking lot was one thing; entering the hospital with bare feet was another.

I took off his shoes before they got too bloodied; he wouldn't need them anymore.

Didn't they say to see life from another perspective, you should walk in someone else's shoes? Well, I had worn two pairs in a single day.

I got rid of the PPE, the nurse's scrubs, and headed back to the emergency stairs to ascend to the ground floor.

I arrived breathless at the cafeteria. It was deserted. People were running up and down, trying to escape the shooting. The news had spread like wildfire.

Two police cars parked in front of the reception, lights and sirens blaring. The officers entered, shouting for everyone to clear the hospital, for everyone to get out. A nurse directed the officers to the ICU, the parking lot, and the third floor, saying the nurses had just raised the alarm about a lunatic pointing a gun at someone in room 315.

A shiver ran down my spine; that was where my boss was supposed to be.

I didn't think twice, and before I could be detained, I ran up the emergency stairs.

I had to think quickly.

Upon reaching the third floor, I saw Irene yelling at a disheveled Romeo. From his body position, he was aiming at someone. He wasn't firing, just pointing at the target, who was undoubtedly Yuri.

If he wasn't pulling the trigger, it must have been because the coward Korolev was using his wife as a shield.

I approached, sticking to the wall. One glance, and they would notice my presence. For now, I preferred to stay unnoticed. The redhead was so engrossed in her argument that I had time to crouch behind the empty nurse's station.

The police had just arrived. I heard them shout for Romeo to drop his weapon. He didn't comply. The redhead stated she was unarmed and that there was a man inside the room threatening a patient with his gun. What a liar! I wanted to step out and start shooting at that vile woman to stop her breathing once and for all. However, I didn't; it wasn't my place to administer justice.

On the counter, I found exactly what I needed. Some decorative balls with a thank-you note, a gift from a patient to the head nurse. If thrown with enough force, they could knock out a man of decent size.

I only had one chance, and I couldn't afford to miss.

One officer was aiming at R while the other was handcuffing Irene, calling for backup and reporting that a suspect was holding the patient from room 315 hostage in the bathroom.

I grabbed the silver sphere, climbed onto the counter, gauged its weight, and took a breath to hurl it forcefully at the head of the cop holding the gun. I hoped I had applied enough force to knock him out with a single blow.

As soon as I released the ball, I jumped, rushing toward the other officer to strike his temple with the butt of my gun.

Irene screamed, and I shoved her mercilessly to the ground to keep company with the unconscious men. Romeo turned and aimed his weapon at me.

"Calm down. I'm not your enemy. I've come to save you and warn you about what I've discovered." I raised my hands to show I was serious. I saw his finger tightening on the trigger. "Think about it, if I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."

My boss's husband was anything but stupid; he knew what I was saying was true. He looked at the two officers out of commission and then at me.

"You have ten seconds to convince me."