Chapter 24 The Lavender Heir

The Final fight

The abandoned hotel loomed out of the darkness like a monument to despair. Its once-grand facade was cracked and crumbling, the windows blackened like empty eye sockets. Cian’s car crunched across the overgrown driveway and came to a halt at the front entrance.

Sasha and William were ushered inside, the air thick with dust and mildew. The room they were shown into was a shabby guest room with peeling wallpaper and a narrow balcony overlooking the grounds.

“Stay put,” one of Cian’s men barked, before locking the door behind them.

Sasha guided William toward the wardrobe. “Hide in here,” she whispered, crouching down to meet his wide, terrified eyes. “No matter what you hear, don’t move. I’ll come back for you.”

He nodded, clutching the edge of her sleeve for a heartbeat before crawling into the wardrobe’s shadows.

—

The balcony railing creaked under her weight as Sasha climbed over it, her breath coming in shallow, careful gasps. She edged along the ledge, clinging to the wall until she reached an open window further down the floor. With a quiet grunt, she pulled herself inside and slipped silently through the abandoned hallway.

The old hotel bar was dimly lit, a single dusty bulb swaying overhead. Cian was there, methodically stripping the sheets from the furniture. He poured himself a drink from an old bottle of scotch, leaned back in a creaking office chair, and, after a moment, closed his eyes.

Sasha’s grip tightened on the knife.

She crept forward, step by agonising step, until she stood behind him. Her hands trembled, but she knew there would be no second chance.

With a choked sob, she plunged the blade deep into his neck.

Cian jerked upright with a guttural sound, clutching at her, but his strength was already failing. He staggered forward and collapsed, the life leaving his eyes before he hit the floor.

Sasha knelt there for a heartbeat, shaking violently, before forcing herself to search his body. She found a gun tucked in the waistband of his trousers and gripped it tight, her breath ragged.

—

Voices shouted from the hallway.

Sasha burst through the door, the gun raised. Two of Cian’s men spun to face her. They fired first; she returned fire on instinct. One man dropped instantly, a bullet tearing through his head. The other bolted for the exit.

Sasha chased him into the lobby, firing until the gun clicked empty. She watched as the man dove into the second car and sped away into the night, her entire body trembling with rage and exhaustion.

—

She ran back upstairs and flung open the wardrobe door. “William, it’s me. It’s over. Come on!”

He stumbled out, his eyes wide and wet with tears.

Sasha lifted him into her arms and carried him out to Cian’s car. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the keys, but the engine roared to life on the first try.

They drove for what felt like hours, through endless stretches of dark countryside, until Sasha finally spotted a flickering call box by the side of the road.

She pulled over, gathered William close, and stepped into the icy glow of the box.

Her fingers trembled as she lifted the receiver and dialled the police.

When the voice answered on the other end, the breath she’d been holding for days escaped in a single sob.

Her nightmare was over.