Chapter 6 - The Long Road North
Julian didn't hesitate. "Get in the car, Clara!" he yelled, shoving her forward toward the open passenger door just as Marcus stepped out with a heavy tire iron, positioning himself firmly in front of the guards.
"Stay back!" Marcus shouted, his voice echoing off the concrete pillars.
Brennan didn't draw a weapon—violence in a monitored Manhattan residential complex was a legal liability—but he closed the distance with terrifying speed. Julian met him halfway, driving his shoulder hard into Brennan’s chest, sending both of them crashing against a pallet of commercial linens.
The scuffle was brief, brutal, and chaotic. Julian felt a sharp blow graze his cheekbone, but he scrambled up, fueled by adrenaline, and dove into the backseat just as Clara slammed the rear door shut.
"Drive, Marcus! Go!" Julian yelled.
The tires shrieked against the sealed concrete floor as the vehicle surged forward, bursting through the plastic security gate and out into the crisp, biting air of the midnight Manhattan streets. Behind them, Brennan was already on his radio.
Clara fell back against the leather seat, clutching her stomach with both hands. "Julian..."
Julian pulled her close, his heart hammering against his ribs. He touched her face, wiping away a fresh tear with his thumb. "I've got you. I'm right here."
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"I took the flash drive from the clinic safe," she whispered, opening her small fist to reveal a silver USB stick smeared with dried blood. "Jonathan told me... it contains the original patient rosters from 2014. The children who didn't survive the initial clinical trials."
Julian felt a cold chill settle deep into his bones. His family’s fortune was not merely built on ruthless corporate takeovers; it was built on bodies.
