Chapter 6 - Clara’s Warning
Returning briefly to the Foundry to arm his strike team, Julian walked into the living quarters where Clara was supposed to be sleeping. Instead, she sat on the rug, drawing lines on a piece of cardboard with an old crayon Sarah had given her.
When she saw Julian, she dropped the crayon and ran into his arms. Julian scooped her up, burying his face in her clean, soft hair. The smell of cheap soap on her skin grounded his spiraling rage.
“You’re leaving again,” Clara whispered, her small arms wrapping tight around his neck. “To find Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Julian said softly. “Daddy is going to bring Mommy home.”
Clara pulled back, looking directly into his eyes. Her hazel eyes were unnervingly mature for a five-year-old child. “Don’t trust the uncle with the silver watch, Daddy.”
Julian frowned, setting her down gently. “What uncle?”
“The one who gave Mommy the bad pills,” Clara said, touching her own wrist. “He had a silver watch with a bird on it. He came to the house with the blonde lady. He smiled at me and said if I ever told you, he would throw Lily into the river.”
Julian froze. A silver watch with an eagle crest—it was the custom timepiece given only to the board members of Vance Enterprises, an heirloom Julian had personally commissioned for his three most trusted executives.
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Someone inside his own inner circle had facilitated Elena’s abduction five years ago. Victoria hadn’t acted alone; she had an accomplice inside Vance Enterprises who had fed her Julian’s travel schedules, financial details, and security codes.
Before Julian could question Clara further, the Foundry’s main perimeter alarms began to blare. The monitor bank in the tactical room flashed red: multiple armed vehicles were breaching the outer gate of the industrial park above.
