Chapter 8 - The Empty Bed
The explosion triggered the mansion's master alarm system.
Deafening sirens wailed through the corridors, accompanied by flashing red emergency lights.
"We have to get to Evan!" Clara screamed over the noise.
"Frank's men will lock down the estate in ninety seconds," Leo yelled back, pulling her down the grand staircase.
Gunfire erupted from the front courtyard as Leo's loyalists clashed with Frank's corrupted guards.
The estate had officially become a chaotic war zone.
Leo handed Clara a heavy pistol from a hidden compartment behind a painting.
"Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to kill," he instructed sharply.
They sprinted through the smoke-filled hallways toward the east wing.
Two rogue guards rounded the corner, raising their automatic rifles.
Leo didn't hesitate.
He fired twice, dropping both men with terrifying precision before they could pull their triggers.
Clara covered her ears, the smell of gunpowder burning her throat.
They finally reached the heavy steel door of Evan's private medical suite.
Leo kicked the door open, sweeping the room with his weapon.
Clara rushed past him, her heart soaring with the hope of grabbing her brother and escaping.
She stopped dead in her tracks.
The heart monitors were flatlining with a continuous, piercing tone.
The luxurious hospital bed was completely empty.
The crisp white sheets were stained with fresh drops of blood.
Resting perfectly in the center of the pillow was a long, jagged hunting knife.
"No," Clara whimpered, dropping her gun to the floor.
She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Leo picked up the knife, his face twisting into an expression of absolute, murderous rage.
The blade was engraved with the crest of the Rourke crime family.
Suddenly, Leo's cell phone vibrated in his coat pocket.
He answered it and put it on speakerphone for Clara to hear.
"Hello, Leo," Vincent Rourke's cruel voice echoed from the device.
May you like
"I have the boy, and he is looking quite pale."
"If you want to see him breathe again, you will come to the old shipyard warehouse alone in exactly twenty minutes."
