Chapter 9 - The Edge of the Abyss
Gabriel ignored the gun pointed at his chest, his eyes fixed entirely on the terrified little girl lying five feet away from him. Mia looked up, her tear-streaked face pale, hazel eyes identical to Victor’s widening in shock.
""Uncle... Uncle Gabe?"" she whimpered, her voice frail against the roar of the ocean.
""I'm here, baby. I'm right here,"" Gabriel choked out, taking a step toward her.
""Don't move, Gabriel!"" Marcus shrieked, his finger tightening on the trigger. Rain streamed down the old man’s face, his expensive tailored suit soaked through, his aristocratic facade completely dissolved into madness. ""If I can't have the empire, none of you will leave this pier alive!""
A sudden gunshot rang out, sharp and loud.
Marcus jerked backward, a look of profound shock crossing his face as a red bloom spread across his right shoulder. The revolver dropped from his nerveless fingers, skittering across the wet deck into the sea.
Standing on the hood of the wrecked SUV on the pier, holding Gabriel’s backup pistol in a steady, two-handed grip, was Clara. The muzzle smoke was instantly swept away by the wind.
Gabriel didn't waste a second. He swept Mia into his arms, crushing her against his chest, tucking her small head beneath his chin. Mia buried her face into his neck, sobbing uncontrollably. ""Uncle Gabe, you found me... Daddy said you would find me...""
""I've got you, Mia. I've got you, you're safe,"" Gabriel whispered, tears mingling with the rain on his cheeks. He turned toward the groaning, bleeding Marcus, his eyes turning to black ice.
Sirens wailed in the near distance—the synchronized flashing red and blue lights of dozens of police cruisers and Gabriel's private tactical convoy illuminating the rain-slicked docks. Marcus collapsed onto his knees, clutching his bleeding shoulder, defeated and broken.
Gabriel carried Mia down the ruined gangway, stepping off the boat and onto the solid concrete of the pier. He stopped in front of the SUV. Clara lowered the pistol, her hands finally beginning to shake violently as the reality of what she had done caught up to her.
Gabriel walked up to her, his breathing ragged. With his free arm, he reached out and pulled Clara against him, holding both his niece and the woman who had saved them both in a fierce, protective embrace.
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""It's over,"" he murmured into Clara's soaked hair. ""You did it.""
Clara leaned into his warmth, closing her eyes as the sirens closed in. But as she exhaled the breath she had been holding for months, a chilling thought struck her, turning her blood cold. She had recognized the tactical insignia on the gunman back at the penthouse. It didn't belong to Marcus.
