Chapter 8 - The Price of Blood
Jax moved with terrifying, sudden speed. With a sharp swat of his left forearm, he knocked the barrel of the gun upward just as a muffled pop sent a bullet tearing into the plaster ceiling. Jax’s right fist drove brutally into the intruder's throat, following through with a crushing knee to the midsection. The intruder collapsed to the runner rug, gasping for breath, dropping the weapon.
Jax kicked the pistol down the corridor and pinned the man to the floor with his combat boot, leaning down until his scarred face was inches away. ""Who sent you, Miller?""
The man coughed, blood spattering his lips. ""It's already signed, Jax... Marcus... Marcus made the deal in Zurich... three weeks ago...""
Clara stood frozen in horror. ""Marcus?""
Jax reached down, wrenching a heavy manila folder from the intruder’s inside coat pocket. He flipped it open under the red glow of his flashlight. Inside were foreign bank statements, shell company incorporation forms, and a terminal adoption decree—pre-signed by Marcus Vance as the legal executor, transferring full custody of Leo to an anonymous international trust in exchange for thirty million dollars in debt relief.
""He played us all,"" Clara whispered, her knees threatening to buckle. ""He didn't come here to protect the will. He came to collect the collateral.""
From the end of the long gallery corridor, the heavy footsteps returned. The emergency lights suddenly flickered back to life, bathing the hallway in a sickly amber glow.
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Marcus stepped around the corner, holding a sleek silver revolver in his right hand. Beside him stood Eleanor, her eyes wide with frantic desperation, clutching a small brass key.
""I told you, Clara,"" Marcus said, his voice entirely devoid of the gentle warmth he had feigned earlier. ""The will mandates that the trust stays intact only if the family remains unbroken. But if the mother dies in a tragic home invasion... the sole executor takes absolute authority.""
