Chapter 10 - The Last Transaction
Before Clara could step out of the van, a heavy hand grabbed Julian by the back of his coat collar, throwing him violently backward into the rain-slicked street.
Julian hit the wet pavement hard, his pistol skidding across the asphalt into a storm drain.
Victor Cole stood over him.
Cole’s face was black with soot from the restaurant fire, his coat torn, his eyes bloodshot with an unhinged, feral rage. He pulled a heavy revolver from his belt, pointing it directly at Julian’s head.
"You ruined twelve years of work, Sterling," Cole hissed, his finger tightening around the trigger. "You were supposed to be an analyst. You were supposed to stay behind a desk."
"And you were supposed to die in Paris," Julian panted, wiping blood from his mouth as he looked up into the gun barrel.
BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the narrow alley.
Cole’s body jerked violently. He dropped to his knees, his eyes wide with shock, looking down at the dark hole blown through the center of his chest.
Standing ten feet away at the back exit of the restaurant was Arthur Guzman.
The old titan was drenched in rain, his grey wool suit ruined, holding Marcus's heavy 12-gauge shotgun in his steady, calloused hands. Smoke drifted from the barrel into the cold night air.
Cole collapsed forward into the rain puddle, his silver viper ring splashing into the mud, his eyes staring blankly at the dark sky.
Silence fell over the alleyway, broken only by the steady drumming of the rain.
Clara scrambled out of the back of the van, letting out a shattered, joyful cry as she threw herself into her father's arms. Guzman dropped the shotgun, wrapping his massive arms around his daughter, burying his face in her wet hair as he wept openly in the dark street.
Julian slowly pulled himself up from the pavement, leaning against the brick wall, watching the reunion in silence.
The heavy steel blast door at the end of the alley groaned open. Marcus emerged, guiding the two young girls out into the fresh air.
The little girl in the pink dress saw her mother and let out a high-pitched scream of joy, running forward through the puddles. Clara dropped to her knees, gathering both of her daughters into her lap, kissing their faces, holding them against her chest as if she would never let them go again.
Arthur Guzman stepped back, looking down at his restored family. Then, he turned his sharp hazel eyes toward Julian Sterling.
Guzman walked over, standing inches from the younger man, and extended his hand.
"You delivered," Guzman said, his voice deep, rough, but completely steady. "The debt is wiped clean, Julian. From this night forward... you are family."
Julian looked at the old man's hand, then reached out and shook it with a firm, solid grip.
May you like
As the distant sirens of emergency vehicles began to wail through the streets of the embassy district, the golden light from L’Hiver’s broken entrance spilled out into the dark alley, casting long, warm shadows over the five figures standing together in the rain.
The nightmare was finally over. The cage was broken.
