Blood ties
949 Words
Chapter 19
Sheriff Daniel Brooks dropped to one knee, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
The gunshot echoed through the abandoned railway station.
Amora instinctively rushed toward him.
“Don’t!” Ethan shouted.
Before she could reach the sheriff, the man in the black suit stepped forward, his pistol still smoking.
His polished shoes echoed across the cracked concrete floor.
Around him, eight armed men emerged from the shadows, surrounding the station.
“There she is,” he said with a satisfied smile. “The last Cole.”
Amora stood her ground, clutching the steel case against her chest.
“Who are you?”
The man smiled.
“You’ve spent eight years looking for answers.”
He removed a pair of black leather gloves with slow, deliberate movements.
“It’s only fair that I introduce myself.”
He extended his hand with mock politeness.
“My name is Adrian Voss.”
Ethan’s expression darkened.
“So it’s finally you.”
Adrian chuckled.
“I’m flattered you remember.”
“You murdered Noah.”
For the first time, Adrian’s smile disappeared.
“No.”
“I merely cleaned up a mess.”
Amora’s voice trembled with anger.
“Where is my brother?”
Adrian looked directly into her eyes.
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
Her pulse raced.
“What does that mean?”
He took another step forward.
“You should be asking…”
“…why Noah disappeared.”
⸻
Sheriff Brooks gritted his teeth and struggled to stand.
“Don’t listen to him,” he groaned.
“Everything he says is a lie.”
Adrian sighed dramatically.
“Daniel, after all these years, you’re still trying to play the hero.”
He turned back to Amora.
“Did he tell you his father helped create the Raven Circle?”
Amora nodded cautiously.
“He did.”
“And did he tell you…”
Adrian’s eyes shifted toward Ethan.
“…that Ethan’s father worked for us?”
Silence crashed over the station.
Amora slowly turned toward Ethan.
His face had gone pale.
“Ethan…”
He looked away.
“I was going to tell you.”
Her heart sank.
“You knew?”
“I only learned the full truth after my father’s death.”
“Answer her,” Adrian said coldly.
“Was your father a member of the Raven Circle?”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“…Yes.”
Amora felt as though the floor had vanished beneath her.
“No…”
“But he tried to leave,” Ethan said quickly.
“When he discovered what they were really doing, he turned against them.”
Adrian laughed.
“A touching version of the story.”
“But incomplete.”
⸻
The station grew eerily quiet.
Rain drummed against the broken roof.
Adrian slowly circled them.
“You’ve spent months chasing names.”
“Richard Hawthorne.”
“Michael Carter.”
“Victor Langston.”
“Harold Pierce.”
He smiled.
“But you’ve never asked who truly leads them.”
Ethan tightened his grip on his weapon.
“Who?”
Adrian stopped walking.
“I do.”
The words hung in the air.
“I inherited the Raven Circle after my father died.”
He spread his arms as if welcoming them.
“Blackwood is my town.”
“My rules.”
“My future.”
Amora’s hands trembled.
“You killed innocent people.”
“I protected something much bigger than you can imagine.”
“You call murder protection?”
“I call it survival.”
⸻
Without warning, Adrian reached into his coat.
Every gun in the station was raised.
But instead of a weapon…
He pulled out a photograph.
He tossed it onto the floor in front of Amora.
She bent down and picked it up.
The color drained from her face.
It showed Noah.
The photograph wasn’t old.
He looked older than he had eight years ago.
His beard was longer.
His face thinner.
But it was him.
Standing beside a chain-link fence.
Alive.
Her breathing became uneven.
“No…”
Tears filled her eyes.
“This…”
She looked at Adrian.
“When was this taken?”
“Three months ago.”
The station fell silent.
Amora’s voice cracked.
“You’re lying.”
Adrian shrugged.
“Believe what you want.”
“But your brother survived that night.”
“He made a choice.”
“What choice?”
Adrian stepped closer.
“He chose to disappear.”
“No!”
Amora shouted.
“He would never leave me!”
Adrian leaned in just enough for only her to hear.
“He left because he believed…”
“…you’d never forgive what he had done.”
Before she could demand an explanation—
BANG!
A flash grenade exploded in the middle of the station.
A blinding white light filled the room.
Everyone covered their eyes.
Smoke billowed through the station.
Voices shouted in confusion.
Ethan grabbed Amora’s arm.
“Move!”
“What about the sheriff?”
“I’ve got him!”
Sheriff Brooks, despite his injury, staggered to his feet.
The three of them disappeared into the thick smoke as gunfire erupted from every direction.
Adrian coughed, waving the smoke away.
“Find them!” he roared.
“No matter what it takes!”
By the time the smoke cleared…
Amora.
Ethan.
Sheriff Brooks.
And the steel case…
Were gone.
Adrian stared at the empty station.
Then he smiled.
“They’ve taken the bait.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tracking device.
Its blinking red light reflected in his eyes.
“They have no idea…”
“…they’re leading me straight to the final secret.”
- Writer
