Chapter 10 - The Trap Closes
The two men in black suits stepped over the threshold, their polished leather shoes clicking sharply against the scuffed floorboards of the diner. They didn't draw weapons immediately, but their cold, calculating eyes scanned the room with terrifying efficiency, locking instantly onto Julian standing near the back booth.
""Mr. Vance,"" the lead fixer spoke, his voice unnervingly calm and polite as he adjusted his lapel. ""Mrs. Vance sends her regards. She was quite concerned when you left your breakfast unfinished.""
Jax didn't hesitate. With a guttural roar, he lunged forward, grabbing a heavy ceramic sugar dispenser off a nearby table and hurling it directly at the lead man's head. The fixer ducked with cat-like reflexes, the ceramic shattering against the wall behind him, but the distraction bought just enough time for Jax to scoop little Clara up into his arms and sprint toward the kitchen doors in the back.
""Move!"" Jax roared over his shoulder.
Julian didn't blink. He vaulted directly over the laminate table, his heavy boots crashing onto the vinyl floor as he closed the distance between himself and the second fixer before the man could draw a concealed firearm from his jacket. Julian slammed his fist straight into the man's jaw with a sickening crunch, sending him crashing backward through a rack of laminated menus and greasy condiment bottles.
""You're making a catastrophic mistake, Julian,"" the lead fixer said smoothly, stepping calmly over his partner's groaning body while drawing a suppressed automatic pistol from his shoulder holster. ""Mrs. Vance's assets belong to the family. That child is a loose end that must be tied up permanently.""
Julian’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure fury. He lunged sideways behind a heavy structural pillar just as a bullet punched a clean, smoking hole through the wooden paneling inches from his head. The deafening crack of the suppressed shot echoed through the empty diner, shattering the remaining beer bottles behind the counter.
May you like
""Tell Victoria she’s fighting a dead man,"" Julian yelled back, his voice echoing off the grease-stained walls.
With a burst of adrenaline fueled by years of buried rage, Julian kicked the base of the structural pillar, leveraging his weight to slam a heavy jukebox into the path of the advancing fixer. The machine slid across the slick floor, crashing into the man's knees and sending him sprawling to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. Julian didn't wait to see if he got back up; he turned on his heel and bolted toward the kitchen doors, where Jax was holding the heavy metal fire exit open into the alleyway.
