Chapter 48 - The Sluice Gate Gambit
Arthur lay in the filthy water, clutching his ruined knee, but even in defeat, a twisted smile spread across his bloodied lips.
"Do it, then, Julian," Arthur mocked softly. "Kill me. But if you pull that trigger, you seal your own coffin."
"Give me one reason not to finish this," I snarled, the tip of the steel pressing against his jugular.
"Because the cathedral above is already surrounded by Interpol and the Federal Anti-Corruption Directorate," Arthur laughed, a wet, rattling chuckle. "Who do you think leaked the Swiss bank accounts an hour ago? If I don't punch in my release code every thirty minutes, the entire global network goes into automatic federal seizure. You walk out of here as fugitives. Clara as an international assassin, you as a syndicate warlord, and those two precious little girls will be wards of the state by morning."
"He's lying," Clara whispered, but her grip on the carbine tightened, her eyes betraying a sliver of genuine doubt.
"Check the emergency channels, Clara," Arthur sneered. "Listen to the sirens above. Can't you hear them vibrating through the stone?"
We listened. Faintly, through the centuries of earth and concrete, the mournful wail of dozens of emergency sirens drifted down from the streets above.
"Julian," Clara said, her voice dropping to an urgent murmur. "We have to move. The aqueduct sluice opens into the canal behind the old brickworks. We have a boat waiting, but only until dawn."
I stared down at my brother. The man who had shaped my life, orchestrated my grief, and turned my bride into a weapon against me. Killing him would satisfy the rage burning in my veins, but it would leave us trapped in the subterranean tomb while the authorities closed the net.
"You aren't worth the bullet," I said coldly.
May you like
I reversed the knife and brought the heavy pommel down against his temple with crushing force. Arthur's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious into the shallow water.
"Take the girls," I told Clara, breathing heavily through cracked ribs. "We run."
