Chapter 13 - The First Breach
The cellar was nothing more than a crawlspace lined with stone and dirt,
smelling of damp earth and old potatoes.
I huddled there with the four children,
my arms wrapped around Leo and Sam,
while Toby sat in the crook of my legs,
clutching his stuffed bear.
Maya was tucked into my lap,
her small face shadowed in the dim light filtering through the floorboards.
Above us,
the floorboards creaked with the weight of men moving.
I could hear James’s voice,
high and hysterical,
trying to reason with a man who had no reason.
"She’s dead,
Julian!"
James shouted.
"Elena is dead!"
"I know she is,"
the smooth voice replied,
now inside the cabin.
"And I shed a tear,
I really did."
"She was a firecracker."
"But she was a thief,
James."
"And thieves have to be dealt with,
even from the grave."
"Where is the box?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
James cried.
There was a sudden,
sickening thud,
followed by the sound of James hitting the floor.
I squeezed the boys’ shoulders,
praying they wouldn't scream.
Leo’s eyes were wide,
tears streaming down his face,
but he kept his hand over Toby’s mouth,
being the man I had asked him to be.
"James,
James,
James,"
Julian sighed.
"You’re a family man."
"You have that lovely wife,
Sarah."
"Those three strapping boys."
"And now,
the little addition."
"Where are they,
James?"
"Did you send them into the woods?"
"It’s cold out there."
"A baby could catch her death."
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
He knew everything.
He knew about the boys.
He knew about me.
"They aren't here,"
Mark’s voice suddenly rang out,
deep and steady.
"And you’re trespassing on federal property,
Vane."
A cold laugh echoed through the floorboards.
"A federal agent,"
Julian said.
"The brother-in-law."
"I was wondering when you’d show up."
"You’ve been a thorn in my side for a long time,
Mark."
"But you're out of your jurisdiction here."
"This is private land."
"And I'm just here to collect a debt."
"The debt is paid,"
Mark said.
"I’ve already uploaded the files to the secure server."
"If anything happens to this family,
the entire list goes to the Attorney General and the press simultaneously."
The silence that followed was electric.
I held my breath,
my heart beating so loudly I was sure Julian could hear it through the wood.
"You’re bluffing,"
Julian finally said,
his voice losing its smooth edge.
"The encryption on that drive would take your boys at the lab weeks to crack."
"I didn't need to crack it,"
Mark said.
"Elena gave me the password years ago."
"She knew this day would come."
"She knew you’d come for the baby."
"She wanted to make sure that the moment you touched her daughter,
your entire world would go up in flames."
I looked down at Maya.
Elena had planned this.
She had used her own child as the final piece of a trap.
She wasn't just a victim;
she was an architect of revenge.
"You think I care about the list?"
Julian snarled.
"Half those men are in my pocket."
"They’ll bury the evidence before it hits a desk."
"Maybe,"
Mark said.
"But will they bury it before the public sees it?"
"Will they protect you when their names are trending on every social media platform in the country?"
"You’re a liability now,
Julian."
"And in your world,
liabilities get erased."
I heard the sound of a gun being cocked.
"Give me the baby,"
Julian said,
his voice now a low,
dangerous growl.
"And I might let the rest of you live."
"Over my dead body,"
James groaned from the floor.
"That can be arranged,"
Julian said.
Suddenly,
the floorboards above us erupted in a cacophony of noise.
Glass shattering,
boots thumping,
and the roar of a gunshot that made the children jump.
I pulled them closer,
shoving them into the furthest corner of the crawlspace.
"Stay down!"
I hissed.
Above us,
it sounded like the cabin was being torn apart.
I heard Mark shouting orders,
the sound of another shot,
and then a heavy weight falling right over our heads.
Dust rained down on us,
clogging my throat.
I looked up through a gap in the wood and saw a pair of polished black shoes.
Julian.
He was standing right above the cellar hatch.
He looked down,
his eyes scanning the floor,
and for a second,
our eyes met through the crack.
He smiled.
A slow,
May you like
predatory smile that promised nothing but pain.
He reached for the handle of the hatch.
