Chapter 3 - Bloodline Confessions
They crouched beneath the corrugated tin overhang of the abandoned shack as the sleek black helicopter circled the quarry, searching the wreckage. The searchlight cut through the dust, lingering on the crushed SUV before sweeping the treeline.
Arthur handed Elena a pair of heavy work boots and an oversized flannel shirt. ""Put these on. We have five miles of rough terrain before the rail depot.""
Elena pulled the coarse boots over her swollen, bleeding feet, wincing at the pain. ""Why are you doing this, Arthur? You spent thirty years guarding his father. You could have turned me over and claimed whatever bounty Julian offered.""
Arthur stood watch by the doorway, his silhouette rigid against the fading daylight. ""Your father was Thomas Vance, wasn't he?""
Elena froze, her hands trembling over the bootlaces. ""How do you know that name? Julian told me my family died in an industrial accident.""
""Julian lied,"" Arthur said flatly, turning his cold gaze upon her. ""Thomas Vance didn't die in an accident. The elder Sterling orchestrated the collapse of his firm and his murder. You weren't Julian’s intended bride out of love, Miss Elena. You were his hostage to keep the remaining Vance trust funds dormant.""
Elena felt the air vanish from her lungs. Her entire life—her engagement, the grand house, the gilded cage—had been built atop the slaughter of her own family.
""Why tell me now?"" she choked out, tears finally breaking past her resolve.
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""Because your father saved my son’s life thirty years ago,"" Arthur said softly. ""I owe him a debt. And tonight, we settle it.""
Before Elena could answer, the beam of an industrial tactical flashlight cut through the cracks of the shed wall, accompanied by the crunch of approaching tactical boots.
