Chapter 10 - DAWN OVER THE VANCE EMPIREThe bullet caught Arthur Vance in the shoulder, spinning the old patriarch around and sending him crashing hard against the mahogany desk. Julian stumbled backward through the shattered glass, bleeding from a deep gash on his forehead, holding a smoking revolver.
"If I go down, the head of the snake goes with me!" Julian screamed, raising the barrel toward Sophie.
He never finished the sentence.
Damian moved with terrifying, blinding speed. Three rapid shots rang out in succession. Julian dropped his weapon, taking a half-step forward before collapsing backward over the edge of the shattered balcony, disappearing into the rainy abyss far below.
Silence descended upon the penthouse, broken only by the steady dripping of rain through the broken windows and the soft, rhythmic breathing of Bear lying by Sophie’s side.
Arthur groaned, clutching his bleeding shoulder as he slumped against the floorboards, defeated and utterly broken.
Damian walked over, stood above his father for a long, quiet moment, and then kicked the old man’s dropped derringer away across the floor.
"You're done, Arthur," Damian said quietly. "The empire is dismantled. The accounts are frozen. And you are going to spend the rest of your days in a federal medical prison where no one will ever hear your name again."
Elena walked up beside her brother, her hand resting gently on Sophie’s shoulder. The little girl looked up, holding the silver locket tightly in her palm. Inside, the photograph of Damian and his sister now caught the first pale rays of dawn breaking through the storm clouds over the harbor.
"Where do we go now, Uncle Damian?" Sophie asked softly.
Damian looked from the little girl to his sister, a faint, rare ghost of a smile touching the corners of his mouth. He reached down, patting Bear’s wet, shaggy head.
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"Home, Sophie," Damian said, turning his back on the smoking wreckage of the past as the first helicopter of the federal escort touched down on the rooftop helipad. "We're finally going home."
HOOK: As the helicopter lifted off into the bright morning sun, a single red flashing light blinked from inside the discarded collar of the dog, revealing a final, hidden transmission destined for a recipient far more dangerous than the Vance family could ever imagine.
