Part 5: Betrayal behind the trigger.

Part 5

Betrayal behind the trigger.

The heavy barrel of Marcus’s shotgun tapped against the driver’s side window, its metallic thud echoing like a death knell inside the cabin.

My driver didn't stand a chance. Marcus fired a single point-blank shot through the glass, neutralizing him instantly before kicking the shattered door open. Cold rain and the acrid smell of gunpowder flooded the interior of the SUV.

"Get out, Vance," Marcus barked, his face hardened into a cold, unfamiliar mask. "And bring the girl."

I wrapped my arm around Lily, shielding her body with mine as I stepped out into the pouring rain. Surrounding us were six heavily armed mercenaries, their red laser sights painting targets across my chest. Rain washed over my suit as I glared at the man who had stood beside me for half a decade.

"Five years, Marcus," I said, my voice dripping with venom. "I treated you like family."

Marcus let out a bitter, dry laugh, wiping rain from his eyes. "Family doesn't pay ten million dollars, Julian. Victoria offered me enough money to disappear forever. You were always just a paycheck."

He signaled to two of his men, who grabbed my arms, shoving me down onto my knees in the mud while another yanked Lily away. She screamed, kicking wildly, but a mercenary held her fast, tossing her small notebook onto the hood of my wrecked vehicle.

A sleek black sedan pulled up behind the pickup trucks. The rear door swung open, and out stepped Victoria, wearing a floor-length trench coat and holding a black umbrella. She stepped delicately around the mud puddles, her diamond-encrusted Sapphire Serpent necklace glinting under the harsh headlights.

"Oh, Julian," she cooed, walking over to stand directly in front of me. She looked down with a cold, triumphant smile. "You always were so predictably heroic. Trying to save your long-lost niece? It’s almost sweet."

"Where is Eleanor?" I spat, blood mixing with rain on my lip.

Victoria’s smile widened, devoid of any warmth. "Your dear sister is exactly where you’re about to be—six feet under in a unmarked grave in the woods. She got too curious, just like you."

"You won't get away with this," I growled, struggling against the mercenaries' grip. "The bank accounts, the company—you need my biometric authorization to transfer the assets."

Victoria reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small, high-tech scanner device.

"I don't need your permission, darling," she whispered, leaning down close to my ear. "I just need your thumbprint and retina scan while your heart is still beating."

She motioned to Marcus, who leveled his shotgun directly at my forehead.

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"Do it," she ordered coldly. "Then burn the car with the brat inside."

Marcus raised the weapon, his finger tightening on the trigger. Lily’s desperate cries filled the night air. I closed my eyes, preparing for the end—until a deafening roar echoed through the trees, followed by the blinding beam of a helicopter spotlight cutting through the darkness.