Chapter 24 - The Serpent on the Bridge
The torrential rain struck the wooden planks of the suspension bridge like a volley of lead shot. Between the raging river churned white with foam hundreds of feet below and the burning pyre of Blackwood Ridge behind us, we were trapped in an open abattoir.
"Maya, get down!" I screamed, my vocal cords raw from breathing sulfur and ash.
Maya froze. Her eyes darted from me to the stranger in the charcoal suit stepping away from the cruiser. The gold serpent pin on his lapel caught the frantic crimson glow of the burning estate behind us. He didn’t shout. He didn’t run. He raised his silenced pistol with terrifying nonchalance, pointing the muzzle directly toward Maya’s temple.
"Don't move, little girl," the man said, his voice smooth, cultured, and devoid of human warmth. "Or this tragedy ends before the curtain even rises."
Beside me, Julian groaned. His weight was nearly unbearable, his skin burning with fever while his hands remained as cold as ice. The bullet wound in his shoulder bled through the makeshift tourniquet I had wrapped around him in the burning hallway. Yet, hearing Maya's name, something primal sparked in Julian’s half-conscious eyes.
"Elena..." Julian rasped, coughing up a streak of red onto the sodden boards. "Leave me... take her and run into the tree line..."
"Shut up, Julian," I hissed, tightening my grip under his arm. "We survive together. That was the deal."
The man in the suit chuckled softly, stepping onto the western approach of the bridge. The wooden structure swayed precariously under the sudden gust of wind. "A touching sentiment, Mrs. Blackwood. Or should I say, Ms. Vance? Your loyalty is commendable, but entirely misplaced. Alexander was merely a blunt instrument. A reckless dog allowed to run wild so long as he collected the syndicate's dividends. But his failure tonight leaves a void. And the Syndicate High Council does not tolerate unpaid debts."
"Who are you?" I demanded, angling my body to shield Julian while keeping Maya in my peripheral vision.
"My name is Victor Sterling," he replied, tilting his head with a mocking half-bow. "I am the executor of Ethan Vanderbilt’s true estate. The files your father hid, Elena... the biometric key Julian carries in his bloodline. Alexander thought he could seize it with brute force and fire. But power is delicate. Hand the boy over, walk away with the girl, and you may live to see tomorrow."
"He's not a boy, and he's not your property!" Maya suddenly shrieked.
Before Sterling could react, Maya hurled the heavy flashlight she had been carrying directly at his face. It struck his shoulder, throwing his aim off by an inch. In that split second, Maya didn't run away—she sprinted forward onto the bridge toward us, sobbing in terrified fury.
May you like
"Maya, no!" I screamed.
Sterling’s expression hardened from amusement to icy cruelty. He leveled the suppressor at Maya’s chest and pulled the trigger.