Chapter 10 - Dying Confessions
""Julian!"" Nora cried, pressing both hands against the wound in his side. The blood was warm and thick, seeping through her fingers.
Julian coughed, a thin trail of crimson spilling from the corner of his lips. His hazel eyes, once so bright and full of easy promises, were dulling rapidly under the glare of police spotlights.
""I was... so stupid, Nora,"" Julian rasped, struggling for breath. ""I wanted... to be the man your mother respected. She made me feel... so small.""
""Don't talk. Keep your hands on the wound,"" Nora ordered, her voice breaking despite her best efforts. Tears mingled with the cold rain on her cheeks. ""The paramedics are here.""
""No... listen to me,"" Julian clutched her wrist with surprising strength, his eyes locking onto hers. ""Chloe... she’s not working for the state. Marcus Vance isn't a detective.""
Nora’s blood ran cold. ""What?""
""The cartel... they own the municipal board,"" Julian whispered, each word a painful rattle. ""Evelyn didn't just siphon funds... she betrayed the cartel’s boss. Chloe and Marcus... they work for them. They needed the USB because it has... the private Swiss keys.""
Behind them, footsteps approached rapidly. Nora looked up, expecting state troopers, but the men surrounding them in tactical vests carried no badges. Standing in the center was Detective Marcus Vance—holding an assault rifle—and Chloe, dressed now in a dark trench coat, her long blonde hair tied back.
""Step away from him, Mrs. Mercer,"" Marcus said calmly, aiming his weapon at Nora’s head.
May you like
""You're not police,"" Nora breathed, slowly rising to her feet, her hands coated in her husband’s blood.
""We are whatever the money pays us to be,"" Chloe replied with a chilling smile. ""And right now, that drive in your pocket is worth forty million dollars to our employers. Hand it over, Nora, or the twins don't wake up for school tomorrow.""
