Chapter 348: Under Siege
My breathing was still heavy and irregular when I heard rapid footsteps approaching from the living room. The familiar voices of concern reached me before I could see their faces, and suddenly Alexis was kneeling beside me while the others clustered around with expressions of alarm and confusion.
"Rey, what happened?" Alexis demanded, her medical training immediately taking over as she checked me for visible injuries. "You look like you’ve been running for your life."
"Because I have been," I managed, accepting Evelyn’s offered hand to help me stand. My legs felt steadier than they had moments before, the physical effects of Superior Endurance already compensating for the exertion, but the emotional aftermath was proving harder to shake.
"Running from what?" Sienna asked, her demolition expertise making her naturally attuned to signs of violence and danger.
"Shooters. Professional ones. Black van, multiple weapons, coordinated pursuit." I moved toward the living room windows, my hands already reaching for the blind controls. "We need to close these. All of them. Right now."
The urgency in my voice galvanized them into action. Without asking for further explanation, they spread out through the penthouse, systematically closing every blind, curtain, and covering that could provide visual access from outside. Within minutes, the entire space was sealed off from external observation, the afternoon light replaced by the warm glow of interior lighting.
"Better," I said, finally allowing myself to sink into one of the armchairs. "At least now we can’t be targeted through the windows."
"Targeted?" Camille’s voice was higher than usual, the implications of what I’d said clearly hitting her. "Someone was actually shooting at you? In public?"
Before I could answer, the television in the living room chimed with the distinctive alert tone that indicated breaking news. We all turned toward the screen as the familiar face of a network anchor appeared, her expression carrying the gravity that came with reporting major incidents.
"We’re getting reports of what appears to have been an assassination attempt on Reynard Vale, the recently endorsed international political figure, in downtown earlier this evening. Cell phone footage shows Mr. Vale running through city streets while being pursued by individuals firing weapons from a moving vehicle."
The screen cut to shaky phone camera footage that showed exactly what the anchor had described—me sprinting between parked cars while bullets shattered windows around me. The image quality was poor, but the gunfire was clearly audible.
"Holy shit," I heard Sienna whisper. "That’s actually you."