The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2190

Recently, Gideon had been handling Stella's physical security, while Wilbur managed her corporate affairs. Just moments before Stella called, Wilbur received word from his operatives that a massive ambush was underway and that Gideon had been shot and was in critical condition.

Wilbur scrambled to deploy reinforcements. But even at top speed, it would take at least ten minutes for backup to arrive. In a firefight, a few seconds determined life or death, let alone ten minutes.

"Understood," Stella said evenly, ending the call.

Beside her, Juniper was starting to struggle. They were completely pinned down, darting wildly from cover to cover. There were far too many attackers, and every single one of them moved with deadly precision. After just a brief exchange of fire, Juniper realized these weren't street thugs. They were elite professionals. Whoever orchestrated this had poured massive resources into the hit.

Juniper was a phenomenal fighter, but the odds were heavily stacked against them.

Just as their position was about to be overrun, several rapid gunshots echoed through the lounge. The assassins closing in on them dropped dead, one by one.

A tall, striking figure stood over three hundred feet away, a handgun raised. Even at that distance, well beyond the weapon's optimal range, every single round he fired was a guaranteed kill. It was a level of lethal perfection Juniper knew she could never reach, no matter how hard she trained.

A wave of irrepressible adoration and awe flooded her eyes.

Having cleared the immediate threat, Joshua strode over to them, his gaze snapping directly to Stella.

"Are you hurt?"

Stella shook her head. "Miss Croft kept me safe."

"I already called Jake and Harold for backup," Joshua said coolly. "You just need to hold out a little longer."

Juniper tried to argue, but Joshua cut her off.

"I'll clear the rear. You take Stella and push forward. Move fast. If they regroup, no one is leaving."

Joshua looked at Stella. "Go with Juniper. I'll find you."