Chapter 7 - The Sins of the Past
"Don't take another step, Julian," Sarah said, stepping out from behind the wall, raising the 9mm with both hands, the front sight aligned dead center on his chest.
Julian didn't flinch. He didn't even raise his hands. He merely closed the heavy oak door behind him with a gentle push of his heel, shutting out the cool night air.
"A gun, Sarah? Really?" Julian tilted his head, his tone patronizing. "You’ve become dramatic in your suburban exile. Is that how you treat an old business partner?"
"You're not a business partner. You’re a loan shark and a blackmailer," Sarah said, her voice like grinding stones. "You hunted my fifteen-year-old son. You threatened my daughter."
Julian sighed, reaching into his pocket. Sarah thumbed the hammer back—*click*.
Julian paused, smiled thinly, and slowly pulled out an unlit cigarette, rolling it between his leather-gloved fingers. "Ethan was simply the most convenient lever to pull. Your late, unlamented husband didn't just steal money from my firm, Sarah. He stole *my* ledger. The master ledger that documents fourteen offshore accounts owned by men who do not like to be audited. Mark hid that ledger inside a secure drive before he had his fatal 'accident' in Mexico."
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. "Locker 417."
"Precisely," Julian murmured. "Mark told me before he died that the key and the decryption coordinates were entrusted to Ethan—hidden inside an heirloom watch he left behind. But when I approached Ethan three months ago, the boy had no idea what I was talking about. It took quite a bit of... persuasion... to make him search the house. And lo and behold, he found the key and the drive."
"He was supposed to give it to your courier tonight," Sarah said.
"Yes. A clean handoff at a crowded birthday party. Nobody looks twice at a delivery man carrying empty catering crates. But your boy botched it. He had a temper tantrum over a birthday cake, and now the ledger is missing." Julian took a slow, calculated step forward. "Give me the drive, Sarah. Give me the key. And I walk away from this house forever."
"You won't walk away," Sarah countered coldly. "You can't leave witnesses who know what you look like. You planned to kill us all the moment you had that drive in your hands."
Julian’s smile vanished, leaving a face carved from granite. "You always were too smart for your own good. Which is why this was never a negotiation."
He whistled.
The sound was sharp, piercing the night air.
May you like
From the shattered bay window behind Sarah, the sound of exploding safety glass ripped through the house.
***
