Chapter 9 - The Final Gambit
The silence in the hallway was heavier than lead.
Grandpa stared at Eleanor, calculating our miserable odds.
"You don't want to die, Eleanor," Grandpa rasped.
"You just want power."
He reached into his blood-stained coat and pulled out a small velvet pouch.
"I know why you really want the child," he said.
"Because the Swiss bank accounts require the genetic marker to access, right?"
Eleanor's eyes narrowed in greedy confirmation.
"But they also require the family signet ring," Grandpa smiled darkly.
"The one I stole from your brother the night I left."
Eleanor's composure finally cracked.
"Give it to me," she demanded, taking a step forward.
"Let Clover and the baby walk out that window, and it's yours," Grandpa bargained.
Eleanor gestured for her guards to lower their weapons.
"Go," she commanded us.
Luke helped me climb through the shattered window into the cool night air.
Grandpa stood his ground, holding out the velvet pouch.
Eleanor snatched it eagerly and ripped it open.
She pulled out a heavy gold ring, holding it up to the light.
Suddenly, her triumphant smile morphed into a look of absolute horror.
"This is a fake," she hissed.
Grandpa smiled, revealing bloody teeth.
"No, it's a flashbang," he corrected her.
A blinding, deafening explosion of white light engulfed the corridor.
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I shielded Brucie as a single gunshot rang out through the chaos.
Someone hit the floor with a heavy thud.
