Chapter 11 - THE LIE THAT BUILT A WAR
Nathan raised his gun.
Dominic moved in front of Harper.
Claire aimed at her father.
Mia stood beside her, pale but steady.
“Put it down,” Claire said.
Nathan laughed through the pain.
“My own children.”
Emily stepped from the elevator behind her.
Nathan stared.
“You too?”
Emily said nothing.
Nathan’s eyes filled with something almost human.
Then it disappeared.
“You all think this ends with me?”
Dominic held the Cross file.
“It already did.”
Nathan shook his head.
“No.”
He smiled.
“You still think I created the war.”
“You fed both sides.”
“Yes.”
“But someone taught you.”
Nathan’s smile widened.
“Ask Vincent.”
Dominic froze.
Vincent appeared inside the elevator doorway.
His face went pale.
Dominic looked at him.
“What does he mean?”
Vincent’s hand drifted toward his weapon.
Daniel stepped behind him.
“Don’t.”
Nathan laughed.
“Tell him, little brother.”
Vincent stared at Dominic.
“It wasn’t supposed to go this far.”
Dominic felt something collapse inside him.
“What did you do?”
“Nine years ago, I needed money.”
“How much?”
“Two million.”
Dominic stared.
“You went to Nathan.”
Vincent nodded.
“He offered me a way to hurt you.”
“Why did you want to hurt me?”
“Dad chose you.”
There it was.
Decades of resentment reduced to three words.
“He gave you everything.”
“He gave you six legitimate companies.”
“You got the empire!”
“So you helped Nathan kill me?”
“No!”
Vincent shouted.
“I told him your travel schedule.”
Dominic’s stomach turned.
“Elena died because you gave Nathan my schedule.”
Vincent’s eyes filled.
“I didn’t know about the brakes.”
Nathan laughed.
“That part is true.”
Dominic wanted to shoot them both.
Instead, Harper touched his hand.
A tiny hand.
Warm.
Trusting.
It stopped him.
Nathan noticed.
“You’ve changed.”
Dominic looked at him.
“You haven’t.”
Nathan raised the gun toward Vincent.
“You ruined everything.”
He fired.
Vincent fell.
Daniel shot Nathan in the leg.
Nathan collapsed behind a cabinet.
Claire screamed.
Mia grabbed Harper.
Gunfire filled the bunker.
Nathan crawled toward the back wall.
Dominic pursued him.
Nathan slapped a red button.
An alarm sounded.
Daniel shouted, “Gas!”
White vapor poured from ceiling vents.
Nathan laughed.
“Your grandfather built everything with a kill switch.”
Dominic grabbed Nathan.
“Turn it off.”
Nathan smiled.
“No.”
Harper coughed.
Dominic punched Nathan.
“Turn it off!”
More gas filled the bunker.
May you like
Nathan whispered, “There is no off.”
Then the lights died.
