Chapter 11 - THE COLD SNAP OF STEEL
The silence between Ethan and Eleanor felt heavier than the crashing rain around them.
The silver barrel of Eleanor’s gun pressed firmly against the center of Ethan’s forehead.
The metal felt ice-cold against his skin.
The rain dripped off the end of the barrel, running down the bridge of his nose.
Ethan did not blink.
He did not step back.
He stood his ground, staring straight into the eyes of the woman he had loved for five years.
Eleanor’s smile was sharp, cruel, and entirely victorious.
“You always were too sentimental, Ethan,” she whispered, her finger beginning to apply steady pressure to the trigger.
“You thought love was a shield that could protect you from the real world.”
“You thought our life together was built on something real.”
“It was just a assignment.”
“A contract.”
“And tonight, the contract is officially fulfilled.”
Ethan’s breathing remained slow and controlled despite the gun pressed against his head.
“You burned my daughter, Eleanor,” Ethan said, his voice flat and devoid of any fear.
“She’s a child.”
“She was an obstacle,” Eleanor countered coldly, her eyes flashing with a sudden, vicious spark.
“She was a distraction to keep your mind occupied while I searched the house.”
“And if you had just given me the key when I asked, she wouldn't have had to suffer at all.”
“So don't blame me, Ethan.”
“Blame yourself for being blind.”
Eleanor’s knuckle turned white as she pulled the trigger all the way back.
CLICK.
The weapon made a dry, hollow metallic sound.
Nothing happened.
Eleanor’s eyes widened in sudden, jarring shock.
She pulled the trigger again franticly.
CLICK. CLICK.
The chamber was empty.
Ethan’s face did not change.
A faint, cold smile slowly appeared on his lips.
“You counted six shots back in the hallway, didn't you, Eleanor?” Ethan asked softly.
“You forgot the warning shot you fired into the ceiling when I tackled you in the bedroom.”
Before Eleanor could process her fatal mistake, Ethan lashed out with his right hand.
He grabbed the slide of the silver pistol, twisting it violently out of her grip.
With his left fist, he struck her across the jaw with every ounce of strength remaining in his body.
The blow landed with a heavy, wet impact.
Eleanor staggered backward, losing her footing on the slick, rain-drenched concrete.
She crashed heavily onto the wet ground, wiping a streak of blood from her lip.
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with pure rage and disbelief.
Ethan racked the slide of her gun, catching the unspent round that ejected into the air, and pointed the weapon straight at her face.
“Get up,” Ethan commanded, his voice trembling with rage.
Behind him, heavy footsteps pounded against the pavement.
Viktor emerged from the smoke, holding a shotgun he had taken from one of the downed mercenaries.
He was bleeding from a shallow cut on his forehead, but his eyes were sharp and focused.
“The perimeter is clear for now, Ethan,” Viktor called out, keeping his weapon trained on the surrounding shipping containers.
“We have less than two minutes before her backup team arrives from the north gate.”
Ethan kept his gun locked on Eleanor’s face.
“Where is the vault, Eleanor?” Ethan demanded.
“Tell me where the drive connects, or I end this right here.”
Eleanor spat a mouthful of blood onto the concrete and laughed bitterly.
“You think killing me solves your problems, Ethan?” she sneered, looking up at him through her wet hair.
“You have no idea how big this is.”
“My handlers already have your building surrounded.”
“They have your lawyer, Marcus, in custody right now.”
Ethan’s heart slammed against his chest.
“Marcus is alive?” Ethan asked, his grip on the gun tightening.
“For now,” Eleanor said, her voice dripping with poisonous amusement.
“He’s bleeding out in the trunk of a car at the main facility.”
“If I don't check in every fifteen minutes, my team will put a bullet through his head and throw him in the river.”
“So go ahead, Ethan.”
May you like
“Pull the trigger.”
“Kill me and watch your best friend die.”
