Chapter 14: The Fall
The gunshot was deafening in the enclosed space. Marcus dove behind the heavy oak doorframe just in time, the bullet burying itself into the drywall where his head had been a fraction of a second before.
In the chaos, Isabella didn't try to shoot again. She turned and sprinted for the heavy French doors leading out to the third-story balcony.
"She's getting away!" Emma screamed, pushing herself off the floor.
Isabella shattered the glass with the butt of her gun and burst out into the freezing night air. Below, the sirens were deafening. State trooper cruisers were violently ramming through the front gates, their tires tearing across the manicured lawns. Mercenaries were dropping their weapons, surrendering in the face of overwhelming force.
Isabella looked down at the chaos, her breath pluming in the cold air. She was trapped. She looked over the stone railing of the balcony. Below was the deep, decorative koi pond—a risky jump, but a survivable one. If she could reach the tree line, she could still disappear.
She climbed onto the stone balustrade, balancing on the edge.
Emma burst onto the balcony just as Isabella prepared to jump.
"It's over, Katarina!" Emma yelled.
Isabella looked back at her, a bitter, vicious smile on her lips. "I never lose, Emma."
She pushed off the railing.
But in her desperate haste, her high heel caught on the intricate stonework of the balustrade. Her balance shattered. Instead of a clean dive into the deep water of the pond, Isabella tumbled backward. She let out a piercing, terrified scream that was abruptly cut short by a sickening thud.
Emma rushed to the railing and looked down.
May you like
Isabella Sterling lay crumpled on the hard stone patio, mere inches from the water. She wasn't moving. The black widow had spun her final web, and in her desperation to escape it, she had fallen to her own demise.
Emma leaned heavily against the cold stone, the adrenaline finally leaving her body. Her knees gave out, and she slid down to the floor of the balcony, burying her face in her hands. The nightmare was over.
