Chapter 8
Arthur’s long fingers snatched at the lapel of Leo’s dark suit jacket, lifting the boy completely off his feet with brutal ease. Leo kicked out wildly, his small shoes connecting with Arthur’s shins, but the man didn't even flinch, blinded by the absolute panic of a cornered predator.
"Put him down, Arthur!" Thomas shouted, charging into the nave from the vestry corridor with a heavy brass processional cross gripped in both hands like a club. The lawyer's face was flushed with adrenaline, his professional composure completely shattered as he closed the distance between them.
Arthur swung around, using Leo as a human shield just as Thomas brought the heavy brass cross downward. The metal struck Arthur’s shoulder with a dull, echoing clang that reverberated through the empty pews. Arthur hissed in pain, releasing his grip on Leo’s jacket. The boy tumbled to the stone floor, scraping his palms and knees, but immediately scrambled backward toward his mother.
Sarah scooped Leo up into her arms, pulling him tightly against her chest despite her own exhausted muscles. She looked at Thomas, who was now standing between them and Arthur, holding the dented brass cross like a medieval knight defending a breached fortress.
"Thomas, you absolute traitor," Arthur growled, rubbing his bruised shoulder while his eyes darted frantically around the floor for the missing gun. "You think you're walking out of here with a pension? I’ll strip every asset you own before the sun sets."
"I don't care about the assets anymore, Arthur," Thomas panted, his chest heaving as he kept his eyes locked on the larger man. "The game is over. The sexton is due back in five minutes, and the front gates are unlocked—I checked them myself when I came in."
Arthur let out a harsh, bitter laugh, stepping back toward the vestry hallway. "You think the sexton matters? You think anyone is coming to save you in this godforsaken town?" He didn't wait for an answer. With a sudden, violent movement, he lunged back into the shadows of the vestry corridor, disappearing from view before Thomas could bring the cross down again.
For a long, agonizing moment, absolute silence descended upon the nave, broken only by the ragged breathing of Sarah and Leo. The dust motes still drifted lazily through the amber shafts of light, indifferent to the violence that had just played out beneath the cross.
"We need to move now," Thomas urged, lowering the heavy cross and dropping it onto a pew with a dull thud. He turned to Sarah, his face lined with profound exhaustion and shame. "My car is parked right outside the north entrance. The engine is running. Get in, drive straight to the federal building downtown, and don't stop for anything."
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Sarah stared at him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "And you, Thomas? What about your part in all this?"
"I'll stay here," Thomas said quietly, pulling a small silver flash drive from his pocket and pressing it gently into Sarah’s trembling hand. "This has every offshore account number, every shell corporation, and every bribe receipt from the past ten years. It's time to let it all burn down."
