Chapter 8 - The Rubble
The concussive force of the explosion threw Elias violently against a concrete pillar.
Dust and debris choked the air, making it nearly impossible to see or breathe.
Huge chunks of metal and concrete crashed onto the floor, crushing everything beneath them.
Elias struggled to his feet, his ears ringing with a high-pitched whine.
Through the thick cloud of destruction, he heard the faint, desperate cry of a baby.
He limped forward, sweeping his flashlight through the ruined warehouse.
He found Julian pinned beneath a massive steel I-beam, coughing up dark blood.
The detonator had triggered prematurely, catching Julian in his own deadly trap.
Baby Leo was lying safely in a padded crate just a few feet away from the wreckage.
Elias rushed over and scooped the crying infant into his arms.
He checked the boy for injuries and breathed a sigh of relief when he found none.
Julian groaned loudly, reaching a bloody hand out toward his father.
"Help me," Julian pleaded, his arrogant facade completely shattered.
Elias stood over his son, his face an unreadable mask of stone.
He remembered all the lives Julian had destroyed to seize power.
Before Elias could make a decision, a shadow moved quickly through the dust.
Victoria stepped into the dim light, holding her silver pistol with trembling hands.
She had followed the convoy from the estate to ensure there were no survivors.
"Put the child down, Elias," she ordered hysterically.
"I will not let that little monster inherit my money."
Elias shielded the baby with his body, refusing to back down.
"It is over, Victoria," Elias said firmly.
"The police are already surrounding the perimeter."
Victoria laughed, a manic, broken sound that echoed in the ruins.
"If I cannot have the empire, no one will," she screamed.
She aimed her weapon directly at the baby's head.
A single gunshot shattered the tense standoff.
Victoria gasped, dropping her gun as a dark red stain bloomed across her chest.
She collapsed backward into the rubble, lifeless.
Elias spun around to see who had fired the lethal shot.
Anna stood at the entrance of the warehouse, her arm extended and her pistol smoking.
She lowered the weapon, her eyes meeting Elias's with a silent plea for forgiveness.
Behind her, the flashing red and blue lights of a dozen police cruisers illuminated the pouring rain.
Elias knew the worst was finally over.
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But as he looked down at the baby in his arms, he noticed something terrifying.
The black serpent brand on the baby's neck was glowing faintly in the dark.
