Chapter 9 - The Devil's Terms
Julian’s knuckles turned bone-white against the grip of his pistol, but he did not raise it. ""Touch Clara, and I swear to God I will tear this city apart with my bare hands to bury you.""
""You won't do anything, Julian,"" Eleanor interjected, her aristocratic tone icy and calculated. ""If you take another step, Christian exposes the family trust. The Thorne empire crumbles by morning. Your grandfather’s legacy will be destroyed.""
Julian didn't even look at her. ""You traded your soul for stock options thirty years ago, Mother. Don't speak to me of legacy.""
Christian pulled Lois backward toward an idling black transport van parked at the water’s edge. Lois’s eyes met Julian’s. There was no longer fear in her gaze; instead, an incandescent rage burned through the tears.
""Julian... don't give in,"" Lois choked out, her vocal cords straining against the pressure of Christian's forearm. ""The ledger... check folder 88!""
Christian struck her across the face with the butt of his scalpel, sending her sprawling onto the metal floor of the van. ""Shut up!"" he barked, slamming the heavy sliding door shut.
The van accelerated violently, its tires spitting gravel as it sped out toward the highway, flanked by two tactical escort vehicles.
Jack dragged himself up from the floor, clutching a bleeding shoulder. ""Julian... folder 88. Do you know what that is?""
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Julian opened the terminal on the laptop Jack had set up. His fingers flew across the keyboard, bypassing the encrypted partition. As folder 88 unlocked, a live video feed filled the screen.
It wasn't Clara in the operating room. It was Eleanor’s own private medical ward, and sitting in the center of the crosshairs was Christian Burke’s ultimate leverage: Julian’s younger brother, comatose and wired to life support.
