THE BLOODLINES AND BETRAYALS HIDDEN BENEATH THE GLITTERING ASHES OF THE DUKE'S ESTATE

“Drop the key, Clara, or I put a slug straight through your dear brother’s skull,” Richard snarled, his breath smelling heavily of aged whiskey and stale cigar smoke.

Julian whimpered, his hands shooting up into the air as two of Richard’s armed thugs emerged from the shadows of the vault, their submachine guns raised and ready. Clara stood completely motionless, feeling the hard steel of the pistol biting into her skin. Her mind raced, calculating every angle, every inch of space between her and the nearest heavy iron strongbox. She slowly lowered her left hand, pretending to let the iron skeleton key slip from her fingers. As the key hit the stone floor with a sharp clatter, Clara dropped into a low sweep, kicking her leg out with devastating force.

The sweep caught the leading thug squarely behind the knees, sending him crashing hard into a shelf of heavy ledgers. Books cascaded down like an avalanche of paper and leather.

Before Richard could pull his trigger, Clara surged upward, slamming her elbow backward into his wrist. The pistol discharged with a deafening roar, blowing a hole in the vaulted stone ceiling and sending plaster dust raining down upon them. Richard roared in pain, clutching his broken wrist as the firearm clattered across the floor.

“Julian! The red ledger on the central desk! Grab it!” Clara screamed, dodging a furious punch from the second thug.

Julian lunged forward, his hands shaking violently as he snatched a thick, blood-red leather book stamped with the Sterling family crest just as the thug swung the butt of his weapon toward his head. Clara intercepted the blow with her forearm, absorbing the brutal impact with a sharp grunt. She countered with a blindingly fast palm strike to the guard’s throat, dropping him to the stone floor gasping for air.

Richard backed away, clutching his shattered wrist against his chest, his eyes wild with terror and rage. “You think a stupid book will save you? The crown prosecutor is in my pocket! The entire council will hang you both for murder!”