Chapter 11 - The Confession
"Out of the vehicle! NOW!" a voice bellowed through an industrial megaspeaker.
Julian reacted instantly, throwing his body over Sarah and Leo to shield them from further gunfire. "Stay down!" he yelled, kicking open the passenger side door and pulling Sarah through onto the wet pavement beneath the shelter of the van's chassis.
Standing at the edge of the pier, surrounded by six heavily armed private security guards, was Chloe Vance. She held a sleek silver handgun in her hand, her blonde hair soaked and plastered to her face, her eyes burning with a terrifying, absolute madness.
"Did you really think you could ruin me, Julian?!" Chloe shrieked over the roar of the wind and rain. "My family spent twenty years building Vance Pharmaceuticals! My father is facing federal indictment because of your stupid little archive girl!"
Arthur Sterling stepped out from behind the guards, his face aged ten years in a single night, his expensive coat ruined by the rain. He looked at Julian, who stood up slowly from behind the van, holding his hands out, keeping Sarah hidden behind his back.
"It's over, Arthur," Julian called out, his voice strong, carrying over the storm. "The Department of Justice has already seized the server logs. The NYPD has warrants for your arrest. Put the guns down before you make this a murder charge."
"I have nothing left to lose, Julian!" Arthur screamed, his aristocratic composure entirely gone, replaced by the desperate rage of a ruined king. "If I go to prison, the Sterling name dies in disgrace! I would rather see this entire bloodline end tonight on this dock than watch you give my fortune to that girl!"
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Arthur turned to Chloe's head of security. "Kill them all. Throw the bodies into the bay."
Julian didn't hesitate. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the remote detonator Dr. Evans had provided for emergency site clearance, and pressed the primary button.
