Chapter 14 - The Edge of the River
They burst out into the torrential rain of the pier, the cold wind whipping off the East River, washing the soot and blood from their faces.
Behind them, the warehouse was fully engulfed in roaring orange flames, thick plumes of black smoke rolling into the night sky. The sound of distant police and fire sirens began to echo across the water from Manhattan.
Victor Vane stumbled out of the burning loading bay, his face blackened by soot, his clothes scorched. He held his pistol in a shaking hand, his eyes wild with unhinged rage.
"You destroyed everything..." Victor rasped, raising the gun toward Julianna. "Thirty years of work... gone!"
"It was never yours, Victor," Arthur said, stepping in front of his daughter and grandchildren despite the blood soaking his suit jacket. "The Rosewood Cipher was built to protect people from men like you."
Before Victor could pull the trigger, three dark SUV patrol vehicles burst through the chain-link gates of the pier, their high beams blinding Victor in a flood of white light.
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"FEDERAL AGENTS! DROP YOUR WEAPON!"
Armed officers poured out of the vehicles, their rifle lights locking onto Victor’s chest. Victor looked at the flames devouring his empire, looked at the police surrounding him, and slowly let the gun slip from his fingers, letting it clatter onto the wet asphalt.
