Chapter 5 - The Cornered Rats
Desperation makes arrogant men careless.
When Julian learned that his bail had been unexpectedly revoked and a warrant was out for his immediate re-arrest, he didn't surrender to the police. Instead, he panicked. He believed that if he could just get to Audrey, he could force her to sign the non-disclosure agreement and somehow make the criminal charges vanish.
It was 2:00 AM when the motion sensors tripped at my property.
I was sitting in the dark of my living room, nursing a cup of black coffee. I had sent the security detail home an hour earlier, anticipating this exact scenario. I wanted Julian to think he had an opening.
Through the security cameras, I watched Julian creep through the pouring rain, holding a suppressed handgun. The coward had brought a gun. He bypassed the front door, moving toward the back patio—exactly where I wanted him.
I unlocked the back door and stepped out into the covered patio, unarmed, my hands visible.
Julian rounded the corner and leveled the gun at my chest, his hands shaking violently. He looked manic, his expensive clothes soaked in mud, his face bruised from our previous encounter.
"Where is she?!" Julian screamed in a hushed, panicked whisper. "Bring her out here right now, or I swear to God I'll kill you!"
I took a slow sip of my coffee, the ceramic mug warm against my hands. "She's not here, Julian. She's in a federal safehouse in the capital."
Julian's eyes darted around the yard. "You're lying! I'll shoot you! I'll do it!"
"No, you won't," I said calmly. "Because you're a coward. You only attack people who can't fight back. You hit women. You hide behind your father's money. But your father doesn't have any money left, Julian. An hour ago, the FBI froze every single asset tied to the Thorne name. The empire is gone."
"Shut up!" Julian cried, stepping closer, the gun aimed directly at my head. "I'm going to fix this! If you're dead, she won't have the courage to testify!"
"Julian," I said, my voice dropping to a low, commanding register. "Look at the red dot on your chest."
Julian froze. He looked down. A small, brilliant red laser was painted directly over his heart. Then another appeared on his shoulder. Then a third on his forehead.
From the shadows of the tree line, four federal tactical snipers materialized from the darkness. Detective Miller stepped onto the patio from the side gate, his service weapon drawn, followed by a heavily armed FBI strike team.
"FBI! Drop the weapon! Drop it now!" the lead agent roared.
Julian let out a pathetic, whimpering sob. The gun slipped from his fingers, splashing into a puddle. He fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands, crying like a child.
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I walked over to him, looking down at the pathetic man who had terrorized my daughter.
"I told you," I whispered. "You made the worst mistake of your life."
