Chapter 14 - The Ledger of the Damned
Julian climbed back up the cliffside stairs, dragging his bruised and bleeding body into the devastated cabin.
He tapped three times on the pantry floor. The hidden hatch clicked open, and Sofia emerged first, holding a kitchen knife, her eyes fierce with protective fury. When she saw Julian, the knife dropped, and she rushed forward to support his weight.
""Are they gone?"" she whispered.
""For now,"" Julian wheezed, leaning against the counter as Lily climbed out of the hatch, running into his legs and burying her face in his damp sweater. ""Lily... baby, you're safe. It's over for tonight.""
Julian sat on the floor with his daughter in his arms, his heart breaking as he looked at the wreckage of their lives. He couldn't keep running. He couldn't hide in cabins while corrupt politicians and international cartels sent hit squads after his child.
His phone, resting on the kitchen counter, began to buzz again.
Julian picked it up. A new text message was displayed on the encrypted screen, sent from an untraceable IP address. Attached was an image file.
Julian opened the image. It was a photograph of a handwritten page from his father’s original ledger. At the top was the signature of Governor Robert Sterling, confirming the receipt of three million dollars to cover up the maritime investigation of The Siren.
Below the image was a short message from Victoria:
They will never stop, Julian. Not until Lily and you are buried, or until they are destroyed. I have thirty pages just like this one. Governor Sterling is holding a private reelection fundraiser tomorrow night at the Grand Plaza Hotel in Boston. If you want this nightmare to end, meet me on the roof at midnight. Bring nothing but your hatred.
Julian stared at the screen, the cold calculation returning to his eyes. He looked at Sofia. ""Pack our bags. We're going to Boston.""
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""Mr. Ashford, that's walking into the lion's den,"" Sofia warned, her face etched with concern.
""The lions think I'm the prey,"" Julian said quietly, binding his bleeding arm with a clean kitchen towel. ""It's time they learned who the Ashford family really is.""
