Chapter 19 - Fire and Redemption
The blizzard howled across the frozen expanse of Lake Geneva,
swirling white powder through the pitch-black woods.
The abandoned hunting lodge stood near the cliff edge,
its dark wooden frame creaking under the weight of the winter gale.
I pulled my black armored SUV onto a dirt trail half a mile away,
stepping out into the knee-deep snow,
my thermal tactical visor active,
cutting through the blinding storm.
Dominic and Julian flanked me,
moving like phantoms through the frozen trees.
Through the thermal scope,
I spotted four mercenary guards stationed around the lodge perimeter,
their weapons kept low against the cold.
"Take the snipers on the balcony,"
I instructed Julian via sub-vocal comms.
Thwip.
Thwip.
Julian’s silenced rounds dropped both balcony guards simultaneously,
their bodies falling silently into the heavy snowdrifts.
Dominic and I rushed the side entrance,
kicking the wooden door off its rusted hinges,
breaching into the dark,
dust-filled interior.
Two mercenaries inside turned,
their weapons coming up,
but I fired three precise rounds into their center mass before they could pull their triggers.
We moved swiftly through the lodge,
clearing room after room until we reached the main hall.
Sitting in a wheelchair near a roaring stone fireplace was Marcus Vance.
His face was severely scarred from the tunnel collapse,
his left leg shattered and bound in heavy metal braces,
his eyes wild with madness and despair.
He held a heavy detonator in his trembling right hand,
his left hand resting on the lap of his blanket.
"Sebastian Ross,"
Vance croaked,
his voice ruined by smoke and water damage.
"You came alone...
just like I knew you would."
"It ends here,
Marcus,"
I said,
stepping into the hall,
my gun aimed directly at his heart.
"Look around you!"
Vance shrieked,
laughing maniacally.
"This lodge is rigged with fifty pounds of C4 explosive!
You press that trigger,
or I press this button,
and we both go to hell together!"
I didn't flinch.
I didn't take a step back.
"You think I fear death,
Marcus?"
I asked softly,
my voice cold and steady as the winter night outside.
"A year ago,
when my son was missing,
I died every single day.
Now,
my family is safe.
My son is warm.
My daughter is loved.
I have everything to live for,
while you have nothing."
Vance’s thumb hovered over the red button of the detonator,
sweat pouring down his burned face.
"I'll take you with me!"
he screamed.
Before his thumb could press down,
a red laser line targeted his right wrist.
Thwip!
Julian’s sniper bullet shattered the glass window behind Vance,
tearing clean through his wrist.
Vance shrieked in agony as the detonator fell onto the rug,
rolling harmlessly away from his severed fingers.
I walked forward slowly,
kicking the detonator into the fireplace,
where the electrical circuit melted instantly in the flames.
I stood over Marcus Vance,
looking down at the broken,
pitiable creature who had terrorized Chicago for decades.
I raised my gun,
pointing it at his forehead.
Vance closed his eyes,
shivering,
waiting for the final shot.
For five agonizing seconds,
the only sound in the room was the howling wind outside.
Slowly,
I lowered my weapon,
engaging the safety switch and sliding it back into my holster.
Vance opened his eyes,
staring up at me in shock.
"Why?"
he whispered.
"Why don't you kill me?"
"Because my son told me I was a hero,"
I said,
turning my back on him.
"And I will never make him a liar again."
Dominic stepped forward,
handcuffing Vance to his wheelchair,
pulling out a satellite radio.
"Federal authorities are five minutes out,
Boss,"
Dominic said.
"Let him spend the rest of his miserable life in a federal cage."
I walked out of the lodge into the clean,
falling snow,
May you like
breathing in the cold air,
feeling the absolute darkness of my past finally fade into the light.
