Chapter 8 - The Rain Outside
The heavy oak doors of the north transept slammed open, and Julian burst into the torrential rain falling over the city.
The sky was the color of bruised slate, heavy thunder rolling across the skyscrapers of downtown. Cold rain whipped down in sheets, instantly soaking Julian’s white shirt through to his skin.
He pulled Lily beneath the small stone overhang of the cathedral archway. The little girl was shivering violently, her teeth chattering, but her arms remained wrapped around the baby in the pink blanket like an iron vise.
"Are you okay?" Julian panted, his lungs burning as he wiped water and rain out of his eyes.
"The baby... Maya... she’s cold," Lily whimpered, looking down at the pink bundle.
Julian reached out, pulling the blanket slightly aside. The baby was wet around the edges, but the wool had kept its body dry. The tiny child opened her eyes—striking, bright storm-grey eyes, the exact color of Julian’s own.
A sharp, violent pain slammed into Julian’s chest. The realization hit him with the force of a physical bullet.
This is my child.
Clara didn't die four years ago. She was pregnant. She was hidden away. And this is my daughter.
"Julian!"
A harsh, metallic voice barked across the wet cobblestone courtyard.
Julian snapped his head up. Standing thirty yards away near the iron perimeter gates was a sleek, dark grey SUV with tinted windows. Standing beside the driver’s side door, holding a large black umbrella and wearing a heavy tactical trench coat, was a man Julian recognized instantly.
Dr. Marcus Sterling. Julian’s older brother.
"Marcus?" Julian gasped, taking a slow step down the stone stairs into the rain. "What are you doing here?"
Marcus stepped forward, his leather boots splashing through the dark puddles. He didn't look at Julian; his eyes were fixed on the baby wrapped in the pink blanket.
"I told Arthur Vance this was a mistake," Marcus said, his voice flat, devoid of brotherly warmth. "I told him the girl was getting too weak to hold in the sub-level. He should have disposed of the children weeks ago."
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Julian froze on the wet steps. The rain hit his face, but he didn't feel the cold.
"You?" Julian whispered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the storm. "You knew?"
