Chapter 12
The rain began to pour in heavy, driving sheets as Julian’s high-performance sedan tore down the winding coastal road, its tires kicking up plumes of mist against the dark asphalt. The rugged cliffs of the estate dropped sharply into the churning, black ocean below, where massive waves crashed violently against jagged rocks.
In the passenger seat, Elena gripped the dashboard tightly, her knuckles turning white as the car took a sharp hairpin turn at breakneck speed. Ahead of them, the taillights of Senator Vance’s black sedan cut a frantic red streak through the pitch-black night, weaving dangerously across the wet lanes.
"He's heading straight for the dead end at Blackwood Pier!" Elena shouted over the roar of the engine and the drumming rain against the windshield. "There’s no way off that point! It's a sheer drop into the sea!"
"He knows exactly where he's going," Julian replied, his eyes locked on the road ahead as he downshifted smoothly, the engine screaming in protest. "That pier is where he and Beatrice disposed of the evidence three years ago. He thinks he can destroy the physical backups kept in the old harbor master's office before the feds arrive."
"We have to stop him," Elena said, her voice filled with fierce determination. "He has to answer for everything—not just the money, but my father."
"We will," Julian promised, stepping harder on the accelerator. The car surged forward, closing the distance between them and the fleeing sedan in a matter of seconds.
Up ahead, Senator Vance’s car slammed violently into the wooden security gate at the entrance of the old pier, splintering the barrier into a thousand pieces. The black sedan skidded across the wet wooden planks of the pier, coming to a violent, smoking halt just feet from the crumbling edge where the old stone lighthouse stood against the storm.
Julian pulled his car sideways, blocking the only narrow exit off the pier. He killed the engine instantly, cutting the blinding headlights.
"Stay in the car," Julian ordered, reaching inside his jacket to check his concealed sidearm.
"Not a chance," Elena said, already pushing her door open against the driving rain and stepping out onto the wet asphalt. The cold wind whipped her hair across her face, but she stood firm, her eyes fixed on the smoking black sedan ahead.
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The driver's side door of Vance’s car creaked open. Senator Vance stepped out into the storm, drenched and disheveled, his tailored suit ruined by the rain and mud. He held a heavy, black automatic pistol in his right hand, his face twisted in a mask of desperate, frantic fury.
"Stay back!" Vance screamed, his voice carrying over the roar of the ocean waves crashing against the stone pilings below. "If you take another step, I swear I'll put a bullet through both of you!"
