Chapter 16 - Cornered
Clara helped Eleanor to her feet, supporting the weakened woman’s weight as they hurried down the hallway. Julian held his mother’s other hand, refusing to let go.
They reached the stairwell, but as Clara pushed the door open, the unmistakable sound of heavy boots echoed from below.
"Check the fourth floor!" a brutal, familiar voice barked. It was Graves. Arthur’s men had arrived in record time by helicopter.
Clara slammed the stairwell door shut and locked it from the inside. "They're here. We have to go up. To the roof."
They rushed up the final flight of stairs, bursting through the access door onto the rain-slicked roof of the sanatorium. The wind howled, whipping Eleanor’s thin gown.
"There's nowhere left to go," Eleanor cried, looking over the edge of the roof at the jagged rocks and crashing waves far below. "He's won. He always wins."
The roof access door burst open.
Arthur Vance stepped out into the storm, flanked by Graves and two armed mercenaries. Arthur looked impeccable despite the rain, holding his silver revolver with deadly calm.
May you like
"A touching family reunion," Arthur shouted over the wind. "But it ends here. Graves, throw the women over the edge. Make it look like a tragic murder-suicide. I'll take the boy."
"No!" Julian screamed, stepping in front of his mother.
