Chapter 7 - The Judas Kiss
I froze completely as the cold steel of the gun pressed into my skull.
"Drop your weapon, Ethan," a voice whispered from directly behind me.
I slowly lowered my pistol to the concrete floor, my mind refusing to accept what my ears had just heard.
I turned my head slightly, only to find Vance holding his gun aimed right between my eyes.
"Vance, what are you doing?" I asked, my voice cracking with absolute betrayal.
"I am sorry, Ethan," Vance replied, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Gabriel offered me ten million dollars and a new life in Europe to deliver you directly to him."
"Every man has his price, and my loyalty apparently costs exactly ten million."
Vance forcefully shoved me forward into the open clearing where Gabriel was waiting.
Gabriel slowly clapped his hands together, a sinister smile spreading across his identical face.
"Bravo, little brother," Gabriel mocked, looking down at my shaking legs.
"I see you finally figured out the truth about your miraculous paralysis."
I glared at him, my fists clenching so hard my fingernails dug deep into my palms.
"Where are they, Gabriel?" I demanded, scanning the dark warehouse for any sign of Sammy and Rebecca.
Gabriel gestured toward the rusted catwalk high above the factory floor.
Rebecca and Sammy were bound to a metal railing, suspended dangerously over a massive, empty smelting vat.
"I wanted you to be here to watch them fall, Ethan," Gabriel laughed coldly.
"It is only fitting that you lose everything you love, just like I lost everything twenty years ago."
Gabriel pulled out a small electronic detonator with a blinking red light.
He pressed the first button, and a small explosive charge blew out the support beam holding the catwalk in place.
The metal walkway groaned and titled violently downward, leaving Rebecca and Sammy dangling by their tied wrists over the deadly drop.
"Now, hand over the corporate access codes, or I press the second button," Gabriel threatened.
I looked at Vance, silently praying that some shred of his honor still remained.
Instead, Vance simply raised his weapon and aimed it directly at Sammy's tiny body.
"Give him the codes, Ethan," Vance ordered coldly.
May you like
I realized I was completely on my own.
I faked a stumble, collapsing onto my weak knees, and grabbed the heavy iron pipe resting by my foot.
