Chapter 8 - Shattered Crystal
The sound of Emma’s scream shattered Julian’s restraint. Ignoring the barrel of Vance’s gun, he lunged forward, his shoulder slamming into Vance’s midsection with brutal force. The gun discharged with an ear-splitting roar, the bullet tearing through the high plaster ceiling, sending a shower of white dust and broken crystal cascading over the mahogany table.
Vance grunted as his back slammed against the heavy oak sideboard. Julian drove a sharp elbow into the detective’s ribs, his hand clamping over the cylinder of the gun, twisting it violently until Vance’s grip snapped with a sickening crunch. The weapon clattered to the floor, sliding beneath the dining table.
Victoria curled into a ball in the corner, covering her ears and weeping hysterically. Julian didn't spare her a glance. He threw Vance to the floor with a sweeping kick, grabbing the detective’s dropped firearm as he bolted toward the grand staircase.
The scream had not come from the conservatory; it had come from the upper gallery, where Emma’s bedroom lay.
"Julian!" Maria’s voice echoed down the stairwell, frantic and raw. "Julian, help us!"
Julian took the stairs three at a time, his heart hammering against his ribs like a caged beast. When he reached the second-floor landing, he saw the master suite door kicked off its hinges. Inside the bedroom, Marcus Kane stood near the balcony doors, his arm wrapped tightly around Emma, who was biting furiously into his leather coat sleeve, her small legs kicking wildly.
On the floor beside the bed, Maria was crawling forward, blood trickling from a cut on her forehead, her fingers clawing at the hem of Marcus’s trousers. "Let her go! She doesn't belong to you!"
"Quiet, servant," Marcus growled, raising his silver-tipped cane to strike Maria.
"Marcus!" Julian yelled, raising the gun, centering the sight directly on Marcus’s chest. "Drop her, or I swear to God you won't leave this room alive."
Marcus froze, his cane hovering inches above Maria’s head. He slowly turned his head to face Julian, using Emma’s body as a partial shield. "You won't shoot. You might hit Clara’s child."
May you like
Emma stopped kicking. Her tear-streaked face turned toward Julian, her wide blue eyes desperate. "Daddy... please."
Julian’s hands were steady, but the sight of the cold metal against the child made his breath catch. Then, from the doorway behind Julian, a shadow raised a heavy bronze statuette.
