Chapter 6 - Blood and Rain
"Did you really think I didn't anticipate you coming here?" Thomas hissed, his voice laced with venomous triumph. "Arthur was careless, but I am not. My personal snipers are on the rooftop across the street. Lower the gun, Eleanor, or they tear you apart."
Before Eleanor could respond, the heavy reinforced double doors of the boardroom burst open with an explosive blast. Shockwaves threw board members off their chairs as dust and glass shattered into the room.
Through the clearing smoke walked a figure shrouded in a black trench coat. He moved with a terrifying, deliberate calm, two heavy handguns raised.
It was Julian.
His face was pale, sunken from days in a hospital bed, and his eyes were bloodshot, but his grip on the weapons was steady as stone. Beside him stood Marcus Kane, holding a detoned breaching charge remote.
"Julian?!" Thomas gasped, stumbling back into his leather chair. "You... you were in a coma!"
"I woke up twelve hours ago, Thomas," Julian’s deep voice echoed through the ruined room like thunder. "Marcus got to me before your assassins did."
Julian’s eyes swept across the darkened room until they landed on Eleanor. For a fleeting second, the cold fury in his gaze melted into a flash of raw, agonizing remorse. He saw the bruises on her wrist, the exhaustion carved into her face, and the unwavering courage in her posture.
"Eleanor," Julian said quietly, his voice cracking slightly. "I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry."
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"Save it for later," Eleanor said, keeping her pistol aimed at Thomas’s heart. "We have company."
The snipers across the street fired. Bullets shattered the floor-to-ceiling glass, sending shards raining down like a crystal storm.
