The impact of the bullet was still reverberating through the room, a lingering echo that seemed to hang in the air like smoke. Cole's ears were ringing, a high-pitched whine that drowned out everything except the thundering of his own heart. His father's body was crumpled on the floor, his eyes open, staring at nothing. The blood was spreading across the concrete, a dark stain that seemed to grow with each passing second.
Cole's pistol was still raised, his arms locked, his finger resting on the trigger. Elias stood in the doorway, his face calm, his hands at his sides. He was smiling. The smile was thin and cold, the smile of a man who had already won.
"You just killed my father," Cole said. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it cut through the ringing in his ears like a blade.
E
