The air in the grand foyer froze, thick with betrayal and the acrid smell of rain. Leo kept his teeth clenched, drawing sharp, shallow gasps through his open mouth as the poison clawed at the inside of his sternum. Every ragged breath felt like swallowing crushed glass.

Victoria’s gaze flicked down toward Leo, her expression unreadable. There was no trace of the pale, dying heiress who had collapsed at the dinner table only an hour ago. Her skin glowed with healthy vitality under the foyer lights, her hand unshakeable around the grip of the pistol.

«You faked it,» Leo gasped out through his teeth, his vision blurring slightly at the edges. «The seizure… the paramedics…»

«A theatrical necessity, little brother,» Victoria said, her voice dripping with ice. «I needed Richard to believe his pathetic coup had succeeded. I needed him to drag his shadows out into the light.» She shifted the barrel back toward Dr. Chen. «And I needed you to bring me the cure, Doctor. You see, Richard wasn’t the only one paying for your services.»

Richard let out a low, guttural snarl and took a step toward the staircase, raising the heavy crowbar. «You arrogant bitch—»

A sharp THWIP echoed through the hall.

A bullet smashed into the marble floor an inch from Richard’s leather boot, sending sharp stone fragments exploding into his shins. He staggered back, roaring in pain as blood seeped through his trousers.

«The next one goes into your kneecap, Richard,» Victoria warned without blinking. «Now, Dr. Chen. Hand over the amber vial.»

Dr. Chen didn’t flinch. Instead, a cold, calculating smile spread across her thin lips. «You always were remarkably short-sighted, Victoria. You think I came here to negotiate?» She raised her free hand, holding a small digital detonator with a single blinking red LED. «The moment my pulse drops below sixty beats per minute, the atmospheric vents in this entire wing will flood with a concentrated neurotoxin. None of us leave.»

Leo’s pulse hammered against his throat. His lungs burned with an agonizing fire that was rapidly spreading toward his neck. His legs felt heavy, like lead weights anchored to the slick marble floor. He looked between Dr. Chen’s detonator, Victoria’s gun, and the brass syringe filled with his only chance at survival.

Suddenly, the massive front doors slammed shut with a thunderous bang, driven by a violent gust of wind. The heavy iron lock clicked automatically into place.

In the brief second everyone’s eyes flicked toward the door, Leo moved.

Throwing all his remaining strength into his legs, he lunged forward, tackling Dr. Chen at the waist. They both crashed heavily onto the marble floor. The brass syringe slipped from her grip, skidding across the polished stone right toward the base of the grand staircase.

«Get off me!» Dr. Chen shrieked, driving her elbow hard into Leo’s ribs.

Pain exploded across Leo’s chest, but he ignored it, scrambling on his hands and knees toward the amber vial rolling across the floor. Behind him, Richard lunged with the crowbar, swinging it down toward Dr. Chen’s head in a frenzy of rage.

THWIP! THWIP!

Two silenced shots echoed. Richard collapsed to his knees with a choked groan, dropping the crowbar as blood bloomed across his shoulder.

Leo reached out, his trembling fingers closing around the cold glass of the syringe just as a shadow fell over him. He looked up, his chest heaving, to find Victoria standing right above him at the bottom of the stairs, her pistol pointed directly between his eyes.

«Hand it to me, Leo,» Victoria said softly, her thumb pulling back the hammer. «You were never supposed to survive tonight anyway.»

Leo held his breath, his knuckles white around the glass vial, when the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated violently against his hip. A harsh, mechanical automated voice blared out from the speaker, loud enough to ring through the cavernous foyer:

«Emergency protocol activated. Target bloodline verified. Initiating secondary purge in three… two…»

From the darkness of the upper balcony behind Victoria, a heavy steel blast door began to slide down, sealing the exits one by one.