The Chase

Liam’s voice boomed over the wreckage of the soundproof doors, a physical shockwave that finally broke the ballroom’s paralysis. Guests screamed, diving for cover behind upturned catering tables as the truck’s engine idled with a predatory growl.

Seraphina didn't wait for the dust to settle. She dropped her silver-tipped cane and bolted toward the infinity doors leading to the terrace. Her shoulder was still bound in the lavender sling, but the terror in her eyes provided a raw, jagged burst of speed that overrode the pain.

"Stop her!" Elena screamed, but the guards were already preoccupied with the tactical team jumping from the bed of the truck.

Maya moved first. The girl didn't hesitate; she sprinted across the marble, a small blur of black silk, cutting a diagonal path through the scattering socialites. She reached the terrace doors just as Seraphina yanked them open. Maya threw her weight into the heavy glass pane, slamming it shut before Seraphina could slip through.

"Get out of my way, you little brat!" Seraphina shrieked. She lunged forward, her good hand clawing for Maya’s throat. She shoved the girl hard, the force of it sending Maya sprawling back against a stone planter.

Elena saw red. The surgical tape around her ribs felt like it was going to snap as she launched herself across the floor. She didn't think about the forensic evidence or the federal warrant. She only thought about the woman who had helped manufacture her madness and was now laying hands on Maya.

Seraphina managed to get the door open again, stumbling out onto the wet tile of the pool deck. The humid night air rushed into the ballroom, smelling of ozone and impending rain.

Elena burst through the doors a second later. Seraphina was cornered between the edge of the infinity pool and the steep drop-off to the marsh below. She looked like a banshee in her ruined evening gown, her hair matted with sweat and makeup.

"It’s over, Seraphina," Elena panted, her hands out. "Nowhere left to run."

"I'm not going to jail for Julian's mistakes!" Seraphina spat. She reached into the folds of her silk sling and pulled out a small, snub-nosed pistol. Her hand was shaking so violently the barrel traced erratic circles in the air. "I gave up everything for this family! My youth, my reputation, my own children!"

"You didn't give them up," Elena countered, stepping closer. "You traded them. And the trade is void."

Seraphina let out a high, keening wail and lunged. She didn't fire; she used the gun like a bludgeon, swinging at Elena’s head.

Elena ducked, the wind of the weapon whistling past her ear. She drove her shoulder into Seraphina’s gut, the impact jarring her own broken ribs. They grappled on the slick, wet tile, a tangle of lavender and white silk teetering on the very edge of the deep end.

Seraphina’s fingers clawed at Elena’s eyes, her teeth bared in a rictus of hate. She let out a final, desperate shove, trying to take them both over the edge.

They hit the water together with a bone-chilling splash.

The infinity pool was heated, but the shock of the immersion felt like ice. Elena struggled to the surface, gasping for air, her heavy dress dragging her down like a lead weight.

She saw Seraphina thrashing five feet away, her eyes wide with a realization that transcended the chase.

They fell into the pool. The water turned red.