Chapter 9 - Shattered Glass
The high-powered bullet tore cleanly through Victor’s right shoulder, spinning him around violently. His gun clattered onto the wet floorboards, sliding into the dark water of the boat slip with a heavy splash. Victor screamed in agony, clutching his bloodied shoulder as he collapsed against a wooden support pillar.
""Down! Everybody get down!"" Arthur shouted, tackling Eleanor and Chloe to the wooden floor just as a second shot splintered the doorway where Thorne stood.
Thorne didn't hesitate. Realizing the operation had been compromised by a third party, he bolted through the darkness of the loading dock, abandoning his duffel bag and diving headfirst into the foggy brush surrounding the lake.
Julian used his heavy cane to lever himself against the wall, his scarred face turned toward the broken window overlooking the lake. ""It's the cartel,"" Julian croaked, panic finally cracking his stoic facade. ""The men I owed twenty years ago... they tracked Victor here. They never cared about the baby. They want the offshore accounts Victor hid behind Clara’s identity!""
Red laser dots danced across the splintered cedar walls like predatory insects. The deep rumble of multiple heavy vehicle engines echoed from the ridge above. Headlights swept through the gaps in the timber walls, blinding them in rapid flashes of stark white light.
""We have to move,"" Arthur commanded, pulling Chloe’s hands free from the ropes with his pocket knife. ""Chloe, can you run?""
Chloe rubbed her raw, chafed wrists, staring at Arthur and then down at Eleanor. For the first time, she saw the undeniable mirror of her own features in Eleanor’s face—the same high cheekbones, the same intense hazel eyes, the same quiet tenacity. ""I can run,"" she whispered.
""Follow me to the boat slip,"" Julian urged, hobbling toward the lower wooden platform where a dark motorized skiff was tied to iron cleats. ""The water leads directly to the state park reservoir. Their trucks can't follow you through the narrows.""
""What about you, Julian?"" Eleanor cried, grabbing her brother's leather sleeve. Even after everything, after twenty-two years of stolen time, the bond of blood pulled at her chest. ""Come with us!""
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Julian looked at her with an expression of profound, quiet peace, shaking his head. ""I died twelve years ago, Ellie. It's time I made it official.""
Behind them, Victor dragged himself across the floor, his face pale and twisted with rage, his left hand reaching toward a red detonator switch wired beneath the boathouse support beam.
