Chapter 15 - THE CORNERED BEAST
Syrens began to wail loudly in the distance, echoing off the surrounding skyscrapers.
Multiple police cruisers sped into the plaza, their red and blue lights flashing frantically.
The crowd of reporters parted as armed police officers poured out of the vehicles.
"Victoria Vance! Stay where you are!" the police captain shouted through a megaphoned speaker.
Victoria looked around, completely surrounded by media, police, and the family she had tortured.
Her regal facade collapsed completely, replaced by a terrifying, unhinged fury.
"You think you won?" Victoria spat, looking at Maya with pure hatred.
She suddenly reached into her leather purse and pulled out a small, heavy silver pistol.
The crowd screamed in terror, people ducking and running in every direction.
"If I don't get the inheritance, nobody does!" Victoria shrieked, aiming the gun straight at Maya's heart.
Maya stood her ground, covering her stomach with both hands, refusing to back down.
Richard threw himself in front of Maya just as Victoria's finger tightened on the trigger.
A sharp, deafening gunshot shattered the air.
Jax had lunged across the podium, grabbing Victoria's wrist at the exact moment of the shot.
The bullet fired harmlessly into the wooden deck of the stage, splintering the floorboards.
Jax twisted her wrist violently, forcing her to drop the silver gun onto the stage.
Two police officers tackled Victoria to the floor, pinning her arms securely behind her back.
"Get your hands off me! Do you know who I am?!" Victoria screamed, struggling wildly against the handcuffs.
"I own this city! You can't touch me! I am a Vance!" she raged, her hair falling messy across her face.
The police officers yanked her up to her feet, clicking the steel cuffs tightly around her wrists.
The media cameras captured every single second of her breakdown, broadcasting it live across the nation.
Richard held Maya tightly in his arms, his body shaking with relief.
"It's over, Maya," Richard whispered, kissing the top of her head. "It's finally over."
Jax picked up the fallen silver gun, handed it carefully to the police captain, and looked at Victoria.
"That's for my sister, Victoria," Jax said quietly, his voice full of solemn peace.
May you like
As the police dragged Victoria down the stage steps toward the waiting squad car, she kept screaming threats.
"Julian! You will rot in hell for this!" she shrieked as the car door slammed shut on her.
