Chapter 10 - The Dying Confession
The transmission went dead with a high-pitched burst of static.
Julian stared at the glowing screen, his jaw clenched. ""That was Sterling’s head clinic nurse, Sarah.""
""It's a trap,"" Elena said immediately, standing up from the sofa. ""Victoria and Marcus know Sterling is the only witness who can directly tie them to the poison and the botched medical protocols. If they silence him, our legal case evaporates.""
""Then we don't give them the chance to silence him,"" Julian said, grabbing his tactical jacket and checking the magazine of his sidearm.
""You can't leave Leo here alone,"" Elena pointed out, her eyes narrowing.
Julian paused, then turned to her, his gaze intense and unwavering. ""Leo comes with us. Black Ridge is safe for now, but if they track our tire treads, he’s a sitting target. We move as a unit. Always.""
Thirty minutes later, the armored SUV pulled into the rusted industrial park on the outskirts of the city's north harbor. Rain beat against abandoned metal warehouses and derelict shipping containers.
Leaving the engine idling in an alleyway, Julian carried Leo in a tactical chest carrier beneath his oversized waterproof coat, his gun drawn in his right hand. Elena stayed tightly at his back, armed with an emergency medical kit and a heavy steel flashlight.
They slipped through the shattered glass door of Dr. Sterling’s private pharmaceutical distribution facility. The smell of copper and industrial bleach hung heavy in the air.
""Over here,"" Elena whispered, pointing her beam toward a trail of smeared blood dragging across the linoleum.
Behind a row of overturned steel shelving units, they found Dr. Arthur Sterling.
The physician was barely recognizable. His expensive cashmere sweater was soaked in dark, arterial crimson. Three bullet wounds punctured his midsection, and his breathing was shallow, wet, and rattling with the distinct sound of a tension pneumothorax.
""Arthur,"" Julian said, dropping to one knee beside the dying doctor.
Sterling’s eyes fluttered open, clouding with death. When he recognized Julian and Elena, tears of blood and agony leaked from the corners of his eyes.
""Julian..."" Sterling gurgled, blood bubbling at his lips. ""They... they betrayed me...""
Elena dropped to her knees, instantly ripping open her medical pack to apply pressure to the chest wound, but Sterling weakly grabbed her wrist with cold, trembling fingers.
""Don't... don't bother, Dr. Hayes,"" Sterling wheezed, a pathetic, dying smile touching his lips. ""You... you were always the better doctor... and I destroyed you for money...""
""Who ordered the hit on Leo?"" Julian demanded, his voice trembling with barely restrained fury. ""Tell me, Arthur! Was it Victoria?""
Sterling coughed violently, his fingers digging into Elena’s wrist with the desperate strength of a drowning man.
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""Not just Victoria..."" Sterling whispered, his voice fading to a death rattle. ""Marcus... and... the bank documents... the trust fund... it's all in the safe deposit box at—""
Before Sterling could finish the sentence, the red laser dot of a high-powered sniper rifle danced across his forehead through the high clerestory windows.
