Chapter 9 - Blood on the Granite
A white-hot wave of pain ripped through Julian's torso. He stumbled forward, dropping to one knee but managing to shield Lily's body with his own as they hit the dirt.
Michael Hall stood over him, clutching a long, jagged shard of the vehicle's shattered side window. His face was soaked in blood from a severe head laceration, his coat torn to shreds.
""She took everything from me!"" Michael roared over the sound of the rising wind, his voice breaking into a ragged sob. ""My family! My name! My freedom! And she gave it all to you! She gave you a kingdom built on my bones!""
Julian rolled over onto his back, his breath coming in shallow, agonizing wheezes. The pistol was three feet away, lying in the mud just beyond his fingertips.
""Clara didn't love you,"" Julian said through gritted teeth, blood bubbling on his tongue. ""She was terrified of you. That's why she left.""
""She was mine!"" Michael lunged, bringing the glass shard down in a two-handed arc aimed directly at Julian’s throat.
Julian caught Michael’s wrists with both hands, muscles tearing as he fought the downward plunge of the glass. The sharp edge hovered mere inches above his jugular. Michael was heavier, using his entire body weight to press the weapon down.
""Daddy..."" a faint, small voice whispered through the rain.
Julian saw Lily stirring on the gravel, her small hand reaching out toward him.
A primal roar erupted from Julian’s chest. He surged upward, bringing his knee hard into Michael's groin, followed by a vicious headbutt that shattered the other man's nose. Michael reeled backward, clutching his face in agony.
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Julian lunged forward, sweeping his hand across the wet gravel, his fingers closing around the cold steel of the Sig Sauer. He brought the weapon up and pulled the trigger twice.
Both rounds struck Michael dead center in the chest. The man stumbled back two paces, looked down at his ruined coat with an expression of bizarre surprise, and tipped backward over the cliff's ruined barrier, disappearing into the mist below.
