Chapter 6 - Shadows from the Grave
Julian drew his spare pistol in a fraction of a second, aiming directly between the intruder's eyes. ""Take one more step, and you die in this tunnel.""
""Still as jumpy as your old man,"" a gravelly, familiar voice echoed from beneath a grease-stained flat cap.
The figure stepped into the dim bulb’s illumination. It wasn't a mercenary. It was Marcus, the Vance family's longtime head mechanic and Julian's closest confidant during his years in the military. Marcus lowered the twelve-gauge shotgun, his weathered face etched with deep lines of exhaustion and soot.
""Marcus?"" Julian lowered his weapon, breath catching in his throat. ""The manor... what happened?""
""Ambush from the inside,"" Marcus said grimly, spitting a speck of tobacco onto the tracks. ""Gas main was intentionally ruptured in the cellar. The whole place went up in minutes. Your father... he didn't make it out, Julian. I tried. The heat was too intense.""
A crushing weight struck Julian's chest, threatening to rob him of air. His father—the unyielding, stern patriarch who had cast a shadow over his entire life—was gone. Murdered.
""Did they find the vault?"" Julian asked, his voice dropping into a register colder than arctic ice.
""No,"" Marcus said, glancing sideways at Clara, who sat wrapped in the wool blanket, eyes wide. ""I pulled the primary drive before the floor caved in. But Eleanor’s crew is combing the city perimeter. They have the local police listening to Vance frequencies. They’re calling you a family annihilator, kid. They told the media you set the fire and kidnapped the housemaid.""
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Julian walked over to a steel workbench, wiping the grime from his face. The frame job was complete. He was now the most hunted man in the country.
""They want a monster?"" Julian whispered, his eyes flashing with lethal resolve. ""I'll give them one.""
