Calculated Sins

The Rooftop unmasking

Outside, the howl of wind at a high altitude, and the steady drumming patter of heavy rain against metal vents rose countering the distant wail of police sirens in the not so far distance below.

The sound of a heavy steel door slamming open, hitting the brick wall with a loud clang interrupted the atmosphere. Vittoria breathed hard, her boots splashing in puddles. She had changed.

“Stop following me, Julian! The gala is over! Go back to your champagne, and your fake scandals,” Vittoria scoffed.

Julian’s voice followed, calm, and dangerously steady as he replied her words.

“The gala ended the moment you shoved the Patriarch behind a marble pillar and drew a suppressed Glock from your garter belt, Vittoria.

Julian’s footsteps were slow, and deliberate on the wet gravel rooftop as he moved. Vittoria’s answer made him let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“That wasn’t the move of a grieving widow,” Julian replied. “That was the “Viper’s” strike. I’ve been tracking that specific tactical stance for three years.

Vittoria stopped abruptly. She did not expect that.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I took self-defense classes after my husband,” Vittoria replied.—

Julian interrupted with a laughing, his laughter mocking.

“Self-defense? You didn’t just defend, you cleared the room. You calculated the trajectory of the sniper’s nest in four seconds,” Julian said, then stopped, only inches away from her. “Tell me, Mrs. Sterling… who taught a sociology-obsessed socialite how to kill a man with a fountain pen?”

The sharp shick of a knife being drawn, and metal scraping leather could be heard. Vittoria’s voice dropped into a low tone, like a lethal silk.

“The same person who taught me that the Valerius family only breeds two things: thieves and corpses. Which one are you, Julian?”

Julian grabbed Vittoria’s wrist suddenly with a slapping thud. The knife she held clattered to the ground.

“I’m the one who stayed sober while you poisoned the wine,” Julian said. “I’m the one who intercepted your “Viper” signal before it hit the dark web.”

Julian pinned her against the metal cooling tower. The metal groaned under their weight. Vittoria hissed.

“Then kill me. If you’re the “Ghost-Hunter” everyone fears, finish the contract.”

Vittoria was daring Julian, anyone could hear it.

Julian leaned in, his breath hitting her ear. “I don’t take orders from my father anymore,” he said, his voice low and airy. “And I don’t kill women who have the same fire in their eyes that I do.”

“You’re a mercenary. You don’t have a soul, let alone fire,” Vittoria replied.

“Maybe. But we have a common enemy,” Julian said, then paused. “My father killed your family, didn’t he? That’s why you married Sterling. To get close to the ledger. To find the names of the men who pulled the trigger.”

A long silence followed after Julian said those words, only the rain falling. Vittoria became vulnerable for a second.

She whispered. “How did you know?”

Julian smirked. Of course he knew. Why wouldn’t he?

“Because I’m the one who was supposed to pull the trigger that night. And I’m the one who let your father’s car “miss” the cliff. I’ve been waiting for you to find me, Vittoria,” Julian replied.

The statement made her pause. What did Julian mean? He saved her father- or at least tried to? Before Vittoria could process what she just heard, a sudden, loud electronic whirring of a drone approaching appeared in the air. Julian recognized who they were immediately. He was used to them.

“We’re out of time,” Julian said, already pulling Vittoria along. “The Cleaners are here.”

Vittoria pulled her hand, halting Julian’s steps. She eyed him, doubtful. Vittoria had never believed anything that came from Julian’s mouth.

“If you’re lying to me, Julian… I’ll make sure your death is the one thing I don’t study. I’ll just enjoy it.”

Julian was darkly amused at this point.

“I’m counting on it. Pick up your knife. Let’s show them why they should have left the “Viper” in the shadows.”

It was at this point they both realized that were two sides of the same coin.

The drone’s searchlight swept over them with a mechanical hum, it annoyed Vittoria. The sound of a suppressed rifle firing at them followed. It was like a dramatic action happening in real time, almost like a heavy bass drop in a room.

Although it was chaotic in the moment, but Julian’s confession about her father, changes the entirety of things for everyone but especially for Vittoria.