Chapter 6 - Ghosts of the Deep
""Julian,"" the scarred man spoke, his voice like grinding stones. ""You look remarkably like your father. Unfortunate for you.""
Julian kept the gun trained squarely on the man's chest, his hands rock steady despite the terror threatening to overwhelm him. ""Arthur Caldwell. Victoria's father.""
Victoria whimpered from the floor, staring up at the man with wide, uncomprehending eyes. ""Father? You... you died. The police found your coat, your note...""
""I had to disappear, Victoria,"" Caldwell said, not taking his eyes off Julian. ""Your father was many things, but a martyr was not one of them. I spent two decades in the shadows waiting for the Ashford empire to ripen, waiting for you to infiltrate their inner circle and unlock the safe.""
""You used me,"" Victoria gasped, tears cutting through the blood spattered on her porcelain face. ""You let me live in shame! You let me marry into this family, risking everything, thinking I was avenging your death!""
""And you did your job well, my sweet,"" Caldwell said coldly. ""You located the archive. But you grew sloppy. Bringing thugs into the house? Threatening a child with a golf club in broad daylight? You attracted attention. The authorities are already monitoring the estate's offshore transfers.""
Julian's pulse pounded in his ears. ""Where is Lily? If you touched her, Caldwell, I swear to God I'll put a bullet through your skull.""
Caldwell chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. ""The child is safe for now, locked in the solarium. But she is leverage. You see, Julian, your father didn't just hoard stolen money. He kept the ledger of international intelligence assets he blackmailed to cover up The Siren. That ledger is worth fifty million dollars to the right buyers in Eastern Europe.""
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Julian tightened his finger on the trigger. ""Give me my daughter.""
""Drop the gun, Julian,"" Caldwell said softly. From his coat, he pulled a small black detonator, its red LED pulsing steadily. ""The solarium is rigged with enough C4 to level the eastern wing of this mansion. Shoot me, and my dead hand releases the switch. And your little girl turns to ash.""
