Chapter 8 - THE PRICE OF LOYALTYBullets whizzed past Damian’s ears as he threw himself over Ellie, shielding her tiny body with his own as they rolled behind the stone basin of the fountain.
“Stay down, Ellie! Don't look!” Damian commanded, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Across the courtyard, Julian scrambled backward into his armored SUV, his face spattered with mud and rage. “Kill them all! Leave no survivors! Blow the whole damn estate sky-high!”
Julian slammed the SUV door shut, shouting orders at his driver to hit the gas. But before the vehicle could move, a heavy armored transport truck—driven by Tony—rammed squarely into the side of Julian’s vehicle, sending it crashing into a massive stone oak tree with a bone-crunching impact.
The courtyard turned into a battleground of smoke, shouting guards, and flashing sirens as Chicago police—tipped off anonymously by Damian’s secure terminal moments before—began swarming the perimeter gates from all sides.
Julian’s mercenaries realized they were trapped between Damian’s loyalists and the federal authorities. One by one, they dropped their weapons and raised their hands.
Damian stood up slowly from behind the fountain, scooping Ellie back into his arms. He walked across the ruined gravel driveway toward Julian’s smashed SUV.
The driver’s door was jammed, but Julian was conscious inside, coughing up blood and staring in disbelief as the flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers illuminated the morning sky.
Damian walked up to the shattered window, looking down at his older brother with cold, absolute pity.
“You wanted the empire, Julian?” Damian’s voice was chillingly calm. “It’s yours. All of it. Every debt, every federal indictment, every enemy your paranoia created.”
Julian coughed, glaring up with venomous eyes. “You think you’ve won, Damian? The syndicate will never let you walk away. You’re a monster just like me.”
“Maybe,” Damian replied quietly, looking back at Ellie, who was safely resting her head on his shoulder, sucking her thumb with weary contentment. “But I finally learned how to be human.”
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Sirens wailed louder as federal agents swarmed the vehicle, dragging Julian out in handcuffs and pressing him face-down onto the gravel.
The battle for the Cross estate was over.
