Chapter 27 - The Edge of the Precipice
They hit the floor violently.
Elena’s hands didn't go for Vanessa’s throat; they went instantly for Aurelia. With maternal desperation that defied physics, Elena twisted her body mid-fall, shielding the infant with her own torso as they tumbled across the hardwood floor.
Aurelia woke, letting out a sharp, terrified wail.
Vanessa rolled over, snarling, her silver revolver raised. "You die first!"
Before Vanessa could pull the trigger, a hand like a hydraulic vice clamped around her wrist.
Through the smoking hole in the exploded wall stepped Adrien. His clothes were shredded, his face streaked with soot and blood, his eyes burning with the wrath of an ancient demon.
He didn't say a word. He twisted Vanessa’s wrist backward until the bones shattered with a sickening, wet crunch.
Vanessa screamed in agony, the silver gun clattering across the floorboards.
Adrien grabbed her by the throat, lifting her clear off the ground with one arm, slamming her against the remaining brickwork of the fireplace.
"Did you really think," Adrien whispered, his voice vibrating with absolute death, "that you could touch my wife and child and continue to draw breath on this earth?"
Vanessa gagged, blood pooling in the corners of her mouth, her legs kicking uselessly in the air. Yet even facing death, her ruined lips twisted into a grotesque, mocking grin.
"Shoot me, Adrien..." she wheezed through her crushed windpipe. "Kill me... but you've... already lost..."
On the floor, Elena sat up, holding Aurelia tightly against her chest, kissing the baby’s warm forehead over and over again, weeping tears of pure, unadulterated relief. "She’s okay... she’s breathing... Adrien, she’s safe..."
Adrien’s grip didn't loosen. His thumb pressed against Vanessa’s carotid artery. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't tear your head from your spine right now."
Vanessa choked out a laugh. "Because... I was never the one pulling the strings, you arrogant fool... Look at the card..."
Adrien froze.
"What did you say?" he growled.
"The card... in the cradle..." Vanessa’s eyes widened with manic glee. "The Tower... wasn't my sign... It was his."
Behind them, the communication console on the wall suddenly crackled to life with a static hiss. A distorted, electronically scrambled voice echoed through the speaker.
*“Good evening, Little Brother.”*
Adrien went rigid. The color drained from his face—a sight Elena had never seen in all their years together.
"No," Adrien whispered. "It’s impossible. You're dead. I buried you in Palermo ten years ago."
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*“You buried an empty casket, Adrien,”* the voice chuckled darkly over the speaker. *“Thank you for eliminating Vanessa. She was becoming rather unstable and loud. Now that the board is clear... we can finally play our game.”*
***
