Chapter 8 - The Airstrip
The storm showed no sign of relenting as Julian navigated his black, armored SUV down the winding mountain pass toward the Vance private airfield. In the back seat, wrapped in warm cashmere blankets, sat Lily and Clara. Eleanor was lying across the leather seats, her breathing steadier now after Marcus had administered emergency first aid and stabilized her gunshot graze.
Marcus was riding shotgun, monitoring the encrypted police scanners on a rugged tablet.
""The local sheriff has been paid off,"" Marcus said grimly, tapping the screen. ""They're reporting a gas leak explosion at the manor to keep emergency services away. Arthur Vance has already cleared a private jet for takeoff to Zurich. Flight plan shows departure in twelve minutes.""
Julian didn't blink. He kept his foot pinned to the accelerator, the twin-turbo engine roaring as the vehicle drifted dangerously around the wet switchback curves. Zurich meant non-extradition banking, sealed vaults, and total disappearance. Once Victoria and Arthur boarded that plane, the Vance trust would be permanently transferred, and Lily’s existence would be permanently erased by a stroke of a pen.
""Julian,"" Eleanor whispered weakly from the back, her fingers clutching his shoulder from behind the headrest. ""Arthur had the maritime blueprints... he was the one who tampered with the engine seals on Evelyn’s boat. I found his correspondence in Evelyn's personal vault after the crash. That's why I had to run.""
Julian’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure obsidian. ""He won't leave the runway.""
Ahead, through the curtain of torrential rain, the twin rows of runway lights emerged like glowing runway markers in a void. A sleek Gulfstream jet sat idling on the tarmac, its engines whining as they spun up for takeoff. Two black luxury sedans were parked near the boarding stairs.
Through the rain-streaked windshield, Julian spotted his mother, Victoria, dressed in a fur coat, being escorted up the stairs by Arthur Vance, who carried a slim aluminum briefcase.
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""Hold on,"" Julian warned calmly.
Instead of stopping at the airfield security gate, Julian smashed the heavy SUV straight through the perimeter fence, sending metal chains and warning signs flying through the air. The vehicle roared onto the slick tarmac, heading straight for the jet's landing gear.
