Chapter 12 - The Architect's Shadow
The two women crashed onto the polished floor of the bank lobby. The elderly clerk had already fled; the building was completely empty, locked down from the outside.
Vivienne was vicious, fighting with a ferocity Elena hadn't anticipated. She slammed the butt of her pistol against Elena's jaw, sending stars exploding across her vision. Elena tasted copper, but held on, driving her elbow into Vivienne’s solar plexus.
Vivienne gasped for air, dropping her gun. Elena scrambled forward, pinning her mother's wrist to the cold marble floor with her knee, pressing the barrel of her pistol directly beneath Vivienne’s chin.
""Call off Julian's men,"" Elena ordered, blood dripping from her lip onto Vivienne's silk collar. ""Call them off, or I end this right here.""
Vivienne stared up at her, blood leaking from a split lip, but instead of fear, her face twisted into a grotesque, triumphant grin.
""It's too late, Elena,"" Vivienne hissed. ""Julian found out I was using him an hour ago. He tracked my satellite phone here.""
As if on cue, the glass front doors of the bank shattered inward with an ear-splitting crash. A heavily armored SUV rammed straight through the lobby entrance, crushing desks and sending shards of plate glass flying across the room.
Through the dust and billowing steam of the radiator, a figure stepped out from the vehicle.
Julian Sterling.
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He wore a tailored black coat, his expression thunderous, an assault rifle held effortlessly in his grip. His eyes scanned the debris, landing squarely on Elena and her mother.
""Well,"" Julian said, his voice echoing in the ruined vault hall. ""Isn't this a charming family reunion?""
