Chapter 7 - Blood Ties
The truck tore through the derelict alleys, careening around sharp corners until the grim industrial park faded behind them into an unremarkable grid of commercial sprawl. Clara sat stiffly against the worn vinyl seat, her eyes fixed on the woman’s tattooed wrist. The coiled viper, detailed with intricate black scales and a crimson eye, was unmistakable. Mark had told her it was the insignia of a private fraternal order from his university days, but Clara had never bought the lie.
""Who are you?"" Clara demanded, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to sound defiant. ""Why do you have that mark?""
The woman didn't look at her, her eyes scanning the road and every passing vehicle with practiced precision. ""My name is Elena. And the man you just walked out on is my half-brother. Though calling him a brother makes me sick to my stomach.""
May you like
Clara blinked in shock. Mark had always claimed his parents died in an accident when he was an only child, leaving him an untouchable inheritance. ""He never mentioned a sister.""
""Of course he didn't. You don't brag about the sister you framed for corporate espionage to steal her inheritance,"" Elena said with a venomous smirk. She glanced sideways at Clara's bag. ""You took the ledger. Which means our darling Mark is currently on his knees begging the Council for protection. And the Council doesn't protect failures. They clean them up."" Elena swerved into an underground parking garage beneath a busy commercial plaza, killed the engine, and turned fully toward Clara. ""Which means they're going to kill you, kill me, and burn that flash drive to ash unless we strike first.""
