Chapter 8 - The Ghost Returns
Victoria stared at the man she had loved, realizing she never really knew him at all.
Richard looked exactly the same, completely untouched by the years of heavy grief she had suffered.
"Give me the drive, Victoria, and hand over the brat," Richard demanded, holding out a perfectly manicured hand.
"Your father is waiting, and he is rapidly losing his patience."
Maya whimpered, hiding entirely behind Victoria’s torn, muddy gown.
"You killed my sister," Victoria said, her voice shaking with a dangerous mixture of grief and pure rage.
"Sarah was a thief who stuck her nose where it didn't belong," Richard scoffed.
"She found out we were liquidating the company assets, so she simply had to be removed."
"And the little girl?" Victoria asked, stalling for time as she desperately scanned the alley for an exit.
"Collateral damage," Richard said with a completely cold shrug.
He pulled a silver revolver from his jacket and aimed it directly at Maya’s head.
"I'm not asking again, Victoria."
Victoria slowly reached into her pocket, her fingers closing tightly around the metal USB drive.
She knew that the moment she handed it over, they would both be executed right on the spot.
"You want it?" Victoria yelled, her eyes flashing with fierce defiance.
"Go fetch."
She threw the small silver drive as hard as she could toward the deep, murky water of the storm drain nearby.
Richard’s eyes widened in sheer panic, and he dove desperately toward the iron grate.
The armed men instantly broke formation, scrambling in chaos to catch the multi-billion dollar prize.
It was the brief distraction Victoria desperately needed.
She scooped Maya up and ran toward a narrow gap between two brick buildings.
"Shoot them!" Richard screamed furiously from the ground.
Gunfire echoed loudly through the alley, the deafening sound tearing the quiet night apart.
Victoria pushed Maya ahead of her, shielding the child entirely with her own body.
They were just feet away from the bustling, safe crowds of the main avenue.
Suddenly, Victoria felt a massive, burning impact tear through her back.
She gasped, her vision going completely white with blinding agony.
Victoria collapsed onto the wet pavement, coughing up a mouthful of warm blood.
May you like
Maya stopped running and fell to her knees beside her aunt, screaming hysterically.
Richard slowly walked up behind them, the smoking revolver still in his hand.
