Chapter 24 - Sisters in the Shadows
We took the narrow hunting trail, cutting through the dense pine forest to bypass the winding road. Every breath burned in my lungs like swallowed glass. Behind us, the fire engines were finally wailing in the far valley, their sirens screaming uselessly against the miles of winding roads and downed trees that blocked the county access.
The Chapel of Saint Jude had stood abandoned on the crest of the ridge for over forty years, a relic of the estate’s original founder. Its gothic stone spires loomed against the stormy sky like jagged teeth.
As we neared the rusted iron perimeter, Owen held up a hand, pulling me into the shadow of a weeping willow.
"Two guards at the chapel entrance," Owen whispered, pointing toward the heavy arched doors. "Mercenaries. But they aren't looking out for us—they're looking inside."
Before I could reply, the heavy silence of the ridge was shattered by a muffled gunshot from within the chapel. One of the mercenaries outside jerked violently, collapsing against the stone steps as blood painted the sacred masonry. The second guard turned to raise his weapon, but a shadow erupted from the side vestibule—a flash of pure, bridal white.
A woman moved with unnatural, feral speed. She drove a long shard of jagged stained glass straight into the guard's throat before he could squeeze the trigger. The man fell with a wet, gurgling gasp, thrashing on the wet stone before falling still.
The killer straightened up. The rain plastered her tangled blonde hair across her face, drenching the torn, dirt-caked bridal dress she wore.
It was Mia.
She had stolen back into the wedding dress she had worn when she ruined my life at the altar. But the silk was ruined now, ripped at the hem, soaked in mud and the blood of her pursuers. She stood there panting, her chest heaving, holding a stolen nine-millimeter pistol in her right hand.
"Mia!" I screamed before Owen could stop me.
She spun around instantly, raising the gun toward the dark tree line. The amber lightning that split the clouds illuminated her wild, frantic face. There were dark bruises under her eyes, and her knuckles were split raw.
"Lila?" she whispered, her voice cracking over the wind. "Stay back! Don't come near this place!"
Owen and I stepped into the clearing, the rain soaking through our clothes. Owen kept his firearm low, angled toward the earth, his body positioned slightly in front of mine.
"Mia, put the gun down," Owen said calmly, his voice steady as iron. "The police are coming. Victoria is dead."
"I know she’s dead!" Mia shrieked, an agonizing laugh tearing from her throat. "I watched them carry her body out of the processing facility! She died laughing, Lila! Do you hear me? She choked on her own blood and told the guard that none of us would live to see the sunrise!"
"Celeste is alive, Mia," I cried, taking a step closer despite Owen’s warning grip on my hand. "She made it to our house. Arthur is taking care of her."
Mia froze. The muzzle of her weapon wavered, dipping an inch. A look of profound, unadulterated terror crossed her features. "She found you? She spoke to you?"
"She told me you stabbed her," I said, my heart aching with a profound, unbearable sorrow. "She told me you were trying to kill her."
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"I was trying to save you!" Mia screamed, tears carving bright tracks through the mud and blood on her cheeks. "Celeste isn't our sister, Lila! She’s Victoria Vance's biological daughter!"
***
