Chapter 13 - Blood and Water
The heavy .45 caliber slugs tore through the perforated steel floor of the catwalk, screaming as they ricocheted off the structural iron beams. A sharp cry of pain echoed from above, followed by the clatter of Marcus’s submachine gun tumbling over the railing and smashing onto the concrete floor below.
Julian sprang to his feet, discarding the empty magazine and slapping a fresh one into the grip from his belt. He vaulted onto the rusted metal staircase leading up to the catwalk, his combat boots clanging loudly against the treads. He reached the upper platform just in time to see Marcus crawling dragging his left leg toward an open ventilation hatch that led out to the river sluice gates.
""Stop!"" Julian roared, leveling the pistol directly at the back of Marcus’s head.
Marcus halted, collapsing onto his stomach on the metal grating. Blood pooled beneath his chest, dripping through the mesh floor to the ground far below like macabre rain. He slowly rolled over onto his back, clutching a catastrophic wound in his abdomen. His face was gray, slick with shock and sweat, his breathing rattling in his throat.
""Go ahead..."" Marcus gasped, blood bubbling at the corner of his lips. ""Pull the trigger, Julian. Become the monster you've always been trying not to be.""
Julian stood over him, his finger resting on the trigger, his heart hammering against his ribs like a caged beast. Every instinct, every ounce of rage that had been building since he found that encrypted file in the kitchen, screamed at him to finish it. This man had violated his trust, framed the woman he loved, and orchestrated their destruction with cold, sociopathic joy.
Maya’s voice rose from the bottom of the stairs, clear and commanding through the ringing in his ears.
""Julian! Don't!""
Julian lowered his eyes slightly. Maya was standing at the base of the staircase, wrapped in the wool blanket, her face pale in the firelight. She was looking at him—not with fear of Marcus, but with fear of what Julian would become if he crossed that line.
""If you kill him, he wins,"" Maya said, her voice shaking but resolute. ""The narrative stays his. He dies, and we spend the rest of our lives running from the federal government. He has the dual cipher in his pocket, Julian. He is the only living proof that clears our names.""
Julian stared down at Marcus. The operative was smiling a faint, bloody grin, daring him to execute him. Julian slowly drew a long, ragged breath of the damp, cold air. His knuckles relaxed slightly on the grip of the gun. He lowered the barrel.
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""You're not dying here, Kane,"" Julian said coldly. ""You're going to live long enough to testify.""
Marcus’s bloody grin faded, replaced by a sudden, frantic panic in his eyes. He lunged his hand toward his tactical collar, where a small glass cyanide capsule was sewn into the lapel. But before his fingers could reach it, Julian’s heavy combat boot came down hard on his wrist, pinning it immovably to the iron grate.
