Chapter 12 - Collapsing Realities
The deafening roar of falling chains and hundreds of gallons of pressurized water scattered the mercenaries. The sheer concussive force smashed the front end of Marcus’s SUV and created an instant wall of blinding spray.
Marcus fired wildly into the deluge, the bullets pinging harmlessly off the reinforced steel containers. Nora grabbed Julian by the collar of his trench coat, hauling him with adrenaline-fueled strength behind the thick concrete footing of the gantry tower.
""Chloe! Find her!"" Marcus roared through the chaos.
Nora didn't wait. She knew the layout. Beneath the gantry platform was a storm drainage conduit built to siphon harbor runoff straight into the low-tide culvert. It was narrow, foul-smelling, and completely invisible from the pier surface.
She dragged Julian toward the iron grate. ""Julian, you have to move. Crawl into the chute.""
Julian was barely conscious, his skin gray and clammy. ""Can't... leave me, Nora. Save Lily... save Maya.""
""You don't get to die to absolve yourself, Julian!"" Nora hissed in his ear, her voice fierce with fury and sorrow. ""You're going to face what you did. Get in!""
With a groan of agony, Julian hauled his body through the grate into the darkness below. Nora was about to slide in after him when a hand clamped onto her hair, wrenching her head backward with brutal force.
Nora was thrown onto her back against the wet concrete. Chloe stood over her, the suppressed pistol pointed directly between Nora’s eyes, her face twisted in rage, the rain washing away her polished demeanor.
""You think you're so smart, don't you?"" Chloe snarled, stepping on Nora’s wrist to pin her down. ""Always the brilliant, untouchable Nora Mercer. Your husband begged for my attention. Did you know that? He couldn't stand being in your shadow.""
Nora stared down the black barrel of the gun, her breathing steady. ""He was weak. But you're just a hired gun in a dress I paid for.""
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Chloe’s finger tightened on the trigger.
A sharp crack echoed across the pier. Chloe gasped, her eyes widening in sudden, total disbelief. A dark red spot bloomed on the shoulder of her coat, and she stumbled backward, dropping the pistol onto the concrete.
