Chapter 9 - The Counter-Strike
By dawn, the mountain fog rolled thick and gray across the abandoned tracks. Thomas had laid out three sets of documents, two prepaid burner phones, and a loaded 9mm pistol on the steel workbench.
Julian stared at the weapon. In his thirty-two years of life, he had never fired a gun at a human being. He was a man of the courtroom, a master of cross-examinations, briefs, and legal leverage. But legal rules were written for people with a conscience. Against predators, the law was merely paper.
""Take it,"" Thomas said quietly. ""I'm not asking you to become a killer, Julian. I'm asking you to make sure nobody takes your daughter from you again.""
Julian picked up the heavy steel weapon. The cold metal felt foreign in his palm, yet unnervingly solid. He checked the chamber, just as Thomas demonstrated, and holstered it beneath his jacket.
""We split up,"" Julian said, his voice completely calm, devoid of the panic from the night before.
Thomas frowned. ""That’s suicide. You won’t survive two hours on your own.""
""They are hunting me, Thomas. If Lily is with me, she’s in the line of fire. Eleanor knows you’re my only ally. She will expect us to stick together."" Julian knelt down before the small cot where Lily lay. He gently touched her cheek until her hazel eyes fluttered open.
""Daddy?"" she whispered, fear instantly surfacing in her gaze.
""Hey, my brave girl,"" Julian smiled, keeping his voice tender and steady. ""Uncle Thomas is going to take you to a safe, warm house with a big garden. You’re going to play there for just one day. Okay?""
Tears welled in her eyes. ""No! I want to stay with you! Don't let them take me!""
Julian wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. ""Nobody is taking you, baby. Daddy has to go fix things. I have to go make sure the bad people can never come near our house again. Do you trust me?""
Lily sniffled, looking into his eyes, seeing the quiet, unyielding fire burning within them. She nodded slowly. ""I trust you, Daddy.""
""Good girl."" He handed her Elena’s small silver locket from around his neck. ""Hold onto Mommy's locket. I will come back for you before the sun goes down. I promise.""
Julian stood up and turned to Thomas. ""Take her to the safehouse across state lines. If I’m not there by midnight... take the hard drive to the federal prosecutor in Chicago. Burn the Vance name to the ground.""
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""What are you going to do?"" Thomas asked, watching the transformation of the gentle lawyer into a man ready for war.
Julian tightened the knot of his dark tie and adjusted his coat. ""Victoria has a sister who runs a boutique downtown. She knows where Eleanor keeps her private ledgers. I’m going to cut the head off the snake.""
