Chapter 7 - The Reunion
I collapsed to my knees on the damp pavement.
James dropped his rifle and rushed forward to catch me.
His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me tight against his chest.
He smelled like rain, gunpowder, and the man I had loved for my entire adult life.
Tears streamed down my face as I buried my head in his shoulder.
He kissed my forehead, repeating my name over and over in a broken whisper.
He apologized for the fifty-six years of pain he had caused me.
He swore he only stayed away to keep Adrian's assassins from finding me.
I touched his weathered face, tracing the lines that time had drawn.
It was the most beautiful moment of my entire life.
But our reunion was violently interrupted by the screeching of tires.
Three black vans swarmed the intersection, trapping us in the narrow street.
Adrian stepped out of the lead vehicle, clapping his hands in a mocking slow applause.
He held a detonator in his right hand, his thumb resting heavily on the red button.
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He told James that if he fired a single shot, the explosives rigged under my house would detonate.
Adrian smiled and said he had my sister tied to a chair inside my living room.
