Chapter 4 - The Traitor
Elias stared at the woman he had been married to for the last fifteen years.
Victoria's elegant evening gown sharply contrasted with the deadly weapon in her hand.
"You sold us out to the Morettis," Elias stated, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Victoria laughed coldly.
"I simply made a lucrative business arrangement to secure my own future."
She gestured toward the frightened girl clutching the baby stroller.
"Did you really think I would let you give your empire to the bastard child of that street rat, Sarah?"
Anna felt her blood run cold at the mention of her mother's name.
"Sarah was a saint," Anna cried out defensively.
Victoria's eyes narrowed with pure venom.
"Sarah was a fool who stole what was mine, and I made sure she paid for it."
Elias stepped firmly in front of Anna.
"You ordered the hit on Sarah," he realized aloud, the devastating truth finally connecting.
"And now I am going to finish the job by erasing her pathetic daughter and that cursed baby," Victoria replied.
She raised her silver pistol and aimed directly at Anna's face.
Elias knew he had only a fraction of a second to act.
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a high-grade flashbang grenade, and pulled the pin.
He tossed the explosive device directly at the feet of the mercenaries.
"Close your eyes," Elias yelled, tackling Anna to the wet grass.
A blinding white light erupted, accompanied by a deafening boom that shattered the silence of the forest.
The mercenaries screamed in pain, dropping their weapons to clutch their burning eyes.
Elias hauled Anna to her feet and grabbed the stroller.
They bolted into the dense, foggy woods while Victoria blindly fired her weapon into the darkness.
They ran until their lungs burned and their legs felt like lead.
Elias finally stopped behind a massive oak tree to catch his breath and check their surroundings.
He turned to make sure Anna and the baby were unharmed.
He found himself staring directly down the barrel of a silenced pistol.
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Anna held the gun with a perfectly steady hand, her eyes devoid of any fear or warmth.
"You should have let her kill me, Elias," she whispered menacingly.
