Chapter 19 · The Red Command

“Put the gun down, Elena.”

Gabriel’s voice cut through the command deck while every soldier watched me aim at his chest.

I tightened my finger along the trigger. “Take one more step and I’ll put you through the wall.”

The room went still. Men froze over maps, rifles, and red-lit communication panels. Even the alarms seemed to lower their voices.

Gabriel stopped.

For once, he listened.

His black coat was torn at the shoulder. Blood ran from beneath the fabric and disappeared under the hard collar locked around my throat. The collar had been his leash, his contract, his favorite reminder that my family’s debt belonged to him now.

I kept the pistol trained on him. “Tell your men to clear the gun deck.”

His jaw flexed. “You’re giving orders on my fortress.”

“Your fortress is taking fire because your people keep waiting for you to think.”

A shell slammed into the outer wall. The floor kicked under my boots. Someone cursed near the radio table. Dust shook loose from the ceiling and peppered the screens.

I didn’t blink.

“Clear it,” I said.

Gabriel looked at the gun, then at me.