Chapter 8 - The Standoff in the Office
The small manager's office was suffocatingly quiet, save for the hum of the computer fans and the sound of heavy rain beating against the high window above the desk.
Victor Vance held his black pistol aimed at Maya’s ribs, while Arthur Pendelton held his silver revolver trained on the bridge of Victor’s nose.
Neither man breathed. Neither man moved an inch.
"You're an old man, Arthur," Victor sneered, though a bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple into his collar. "Your hands were shaking at the reception desk yesterday. You can't hit a target from five feet away."
"My hands were shaking because I was holding back fifty years of rage, Victor," Arthur replied, his thumb slowly pulling back the heavy hammer of the revolver with a crisp, terrifying CLICK. "I spent thirty years auditing men like you. I know how you hide behind shell companies, fancy suits, and petty brothers. But when you touched my Sarah... you crossed a line that no ledger can balance."
"Put the gun down, Arthur!" Maya warned softly, stepping half a pace back toward the wall. "We have the files! The federal marshals are already monitoring the Chicago transfer! We don't need to shoot him!"
"He killed your sister, Maya," Arthur said, his eyes never leaving Victor's face. "The law took five years to give us this room. I'm not leaving it up to a jury."
Victor saw his opportunity.
He lunged forward, twisting his body to use Maya as a human shield while swinging his gun arm toward Arthur.
May you like
BANG!
The gunshot echoed inside the small, enclosed office like a grenade going off.
