Chapter 6 - The Uncle’s Ultimatum
Arthur Sterling smiled, though there was no warmth in his eyes—only the dead, calculating stare of a predator who owned the world and everything in it.
“Evelyn, my brilliant, stubborn niece,” Arthur sighed, shaking his head as if dealing with a mildly disappointing child. “You always had to dig where you weren't wanted. Why couldn't you just stick to corporate takeovers and skyscrapers? Why did you have to look into the basement?”
Evelyn kept her weapon trained squarely on the center of his chest, her hands completely steady despite the deafening roar of the security alarms and the acrid smell of gunpowder filling the air. “Because unlike you, Arthur, I built my empire with my own hands. I didn't need to harvest children to fund my portfolio.”
Arthur laughed—a dry, patrician sound that echoed off the smoke-stained marble walls. “Children are a renewable resource in a city like this, Evelyn. The poor discard them; the system forgets them; and men like me give them... purpose. That little girl with the brand on her arm—she carries a rare genetic anomaly in her marrow. Do you have any idea how many millions pharmaceutical conglomerates pay for uncorrupted cellular tissue? You were sitting on a goldmine, and you were ready to throw it away for a pack of street rats.”
“You’re a monster,” Evelyn whispered, her finger tightening slightly on the trigger.
“I’m a pragmatist,” Arthur corrected smoothly, raising his silver-plated revolver. “And unfortunately, family meetings must come to an end. Paul! Drop your weapon, or I’ll have my men ventilate your boss right here on her own rug.”
Paul, blood streaming from a graze along his temple, slowly lowered his rifle, his eyes darting toward Evelyn with silent apology.
Grant crawled out from behind a velvet sofa, sobbing hysterically, his hands raised in surrender. “Uncle Arthur! Please! Don't shoot! I didn't tell anyone anything! I swear on my life! I’m on your side!”
Arthur didn't even look down at his nephew. “Shut up, Grant. You’ve always been useless.”
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Arthur shifted his gaze back to Evelyn, his finger pressing down on the trigger of his revolver. “Say goodbye, Evelyn. You and your little stray dogs are going to make a very convincing boating accident off the Navy Pier tonight.”
Before the hammer could fall, a deafening explosion ripped through the ceiling of the grand salon.
