Chapter 10 - THE SHOT The gunshot echoed.
Emily screamed.
Julian felt something strike his shoulder.
He fell.
"Julian!"
Blood soaked his shirt.
But the bullet had missed his heart.
Reed returned fire.
Hale disappeared through a side door.
Victoria stood frozen.
Then she dropped her weapon.
"I didn't know."
Emily stared at her.
"You knew enough."
Victoria began crying.
"I thought Hale would protect me."
"He used you."
"I know."
Julian struggled to his feet.
"Where is he going?"
Victoria pointed toward the tunnel.
"The archive."
Reed cursed.
"How do we stop him?"
Emily looked at her daughters.
"The girls."
Nora understood immediately.
"We can lock the archive."
Lilly looked frightened.
"How?"
Emily knelt.
"Remember the music box."
Lilly touched the teddy bear.
Inside was another tiny key.
Emily smiled through her tears.
"I knew you'd keep it."
They ran.
The archive door stood at the end of the corridor.
Hale was already there.
He inserted one key.
Nothing happened.
Nora stepped forward.
She inserted hers.
The system came alive.
Lights illuminated hundreds of shelves.
Millions of files.
Hale smiled.
"You see?"
He looked at Julian.
"Your family built the most powerful blackmail archive in the world."
Julian answered:
"No."
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He looked at his daughters.
"My family is going to destroy it."
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