Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 504

Finally, he locked his sights on Stella. "You. Come here."

Though he was drowning in panic, his survival instincts knew this woman was the deadliest threat in the room. She had just taken down six men single-handedly; he needed to control her first.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Just stay calm," Stella said softly. The last thing she needed was for a nervous twitch to pull the trigger and hit her by accident.

Or hit a hostage, for that matter.

"Shut up and move!" the man roared in impotent rage.

Julius's chest tightened at the risk to Stella. He moved swiftly, closing the distance from the man's flank.

Luke and Adrian mirrored his movements, inching closer with every heartbeat.

They couldn't let this thug put a scratch on her.

If four highly trained operatives couldn't neutralize a single panicking guard, they might as well turn in their badges.

The man was completely unraveling. What started as a one-handed grip turned into a desperate two-handed clutch because he was shaking too violently to steady the weapon.

"Hey, buddy. Take a breath. Stop shaking the gun, you're making me nervous," Stella said, genuinely worried his trembling finger would slip.

Her comment only made things worse. The man's anxiety spiked, and his hands trembled even harder.

Not willing to gamble with a stray bullet, Stella slowly raised her hands to her hair. With a flick of her wrist, she withdrew a concealed tranquilizer needle and snapped it directly at the man.

The man's violent shaking instantly stopped. His grip failed, and the gun clattered heavily to the floor.

Julius was already in striking distance. Seeing the opening, he launched a devastating kick that sent the man flying across the room.

Luke and Adrian surged forward, pinning the man down and restraining him.

Julius rushed to Stella, gripping her shoulders. "Are you hurt?!"

"Do I look hurt to you? Go open the front doors and let the tactical team handle the rest."

He had literally just watched her take down half the room without breaking a sweat. She had no idea why he was so frantic.

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