Chapter 10 - UNMASKING THE SHADOWS
Victor kept his gun pointed dead center at Inspector Vance's chest.
"He was about to tell me who betrayed Elena," Victor said, his voice terrifyingly quiet.
Vance lowered her weapon slowly, her face completely unreadable under the dim orange lights.
"He was trying to confuse you, Victor," Vance stated calmly, taking a step forward.
"He was an assassin trying to save his own skin."
"How did you get down into the locked boiler room so fast, Vance?" Victor asked coldly.
His finger remained rested lightly on the cold trigger of his pistol.
"I saw Apex enter through the basement door," Vance replied without missing a beat.
"I came down to cover your back."
"The children are upstairs, Victor. Lily is on stage right now."
Victor looked up at the ceiling as the applause of dozens of parents echoed through the floorboards.
He knew every second he spent down here was a second he was breaking his promise to the child.
He slowly lowered his weapon, but he did not return it to its holster.
"If I find out you lied to me, Vance, there is nowhere on this earth you can hide," Victor warned low.
"I know," Vance replied softly. "Now go. She is looking for you."
Victor turned and sprinted up the concrete steps, leaving Vance alone in the dark boiler room.
He pushed open the heavy wooden doors leading into the main auditorium.
The room was dark, except for the bright golden spotlights illuminating the wooden stage.
Children in colorful costumes were dancing and singing a cheerful song about woodland animals.
Victor quietly slid into an empty wooden seat in the very front row, right in the center.
His dark suit was torn, his knuckles were bleeding, and a fresh cut bled along his cheek.
On the stage, Lily stood dressed in a small white angel costume with golden cardboard wings.
She was scanning the crowded audience frantically, her little face filled with growing worry.
Suddenly, her dark eyes landed on the tall, scarred man sitting right in the middle of the front row.
A radiant, beautiful smile spread across her face, lighting up the entire auditorium.
She waved her tiny hand at him enthusiastically, completely stepping out of her stage position.
Victor slowly raised his hand and offered her a gentle, subtle nod of encouragement.
For the first time in twenty years, a genuine smile touched Victor's scarred lips.
In that quiet moment, surrounded by music and laughter, Victor felt something long dead awaken within him.
He wasn't just a killer anymore; he was a shield protecting something sacred.
Suddenly, a red laser dot appeared on the back of Lily's white angel costume.
Victor’s heart stopped dead in his chest as his smile instantly vanished.
He looked up toward the high lighting catwalk above the stage.
A sniper in a dark tactical suit was aiming directly at the child from the rafters.
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Victor didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
He leaped over the front row seats, drawing his gun as he sprinted toward the stage.
