Chapter 7 - THE BAIT
The vault fell silent, save for the ragged sound of my own breathing.
I looked from the pearl-handled revolver in Victoria’s hand to Julian. His broad shoulders were tense, his chest rising and falling heavily. He didn’t look at me. He was staring at the barrel of Victoria’s gun, calculating his next move.
“Is it true?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Julian’s jaw clenched. He finally shifted his gaze to me, his blue eyes haunted. “Mia, I—”
“Yes or no, Julian!” I screamed, the betrayal slicing through me sharper than any knife. “Did you know I was working tonight? Did you put me in that room on purpose?”
“Yes,” he admitted, his voice agonizingly quiet. “I requested you by name from the catering agency.”
A cold numbness washed over me. The magic of the compass. The protective warmth of his jacket. The way he had looked at me in the hallway, as if finding a lost ghost. It was all a performance. A calculated corporate strategy to blow up a deal he couldn't get out of.
“You’re just like her,” I spat, tears of absolute fury burning my eyes. “You used me. You put me and my daughter in danger for a company!”
“No!” Julian stepped forward, ignoring Victoria’s gun. “Mia, you have to listen to me. I knew David was corrupt. I knew he was working for Victoria. I needed him to expose himself in front of Klaus so I could legally fire him and kill the buyout. But I never—*never*—intended to put you in danger.”
“Then why bring me there?” I demanded, holding Lily tighter.
“Because I’ve been searching for you for twelve years!” Julian roared, the absolute raw agony in his voice echoing off the concrete walls. “I didn't know you were alive until last week! When I found out, I also found out Victoria knew. She had hitmen tailing you. If I had just walked up to your apartment, they would have killed you on the spot.”
He took another step, putting his body directly between me and Victoria’s gun.
“The only place I could guarantee your absolute safety was at a highly publicized, heavily secured billionaire's dinner. I brought you there to protect you. I planned to take you away immediately after the dinner and hide you.” Julian’s voice cracked. “But then David tried to hijack the contract, and you stepped in. You threw yourself into the fire, Mia. Just like you did twelve years ago.”
I stared at his broad back, seeing the faint tremors of adrenaline wracking his frame. He had put himself in the line of fire. Twice. He was standing in front of a loaded gun right now, shielding a woman who had just called him a monster.
“How touching,” Victoria sneered, her hand shaking slightly on the grip of the revolver. “A tragic romance. Romeo and Juliet in a bank vault. But it ends the same way.”
She adjusted her aim, stepping around Julian to get a clear shot at me.
“Mommy,” Lily cried softly.
“Close your eyes, baby,” I whispered into her hair.
“Goodbye, Mia,” Victoria said, her finger tightening on the trigger.
“Drop the weapon!”
The booming voice came from the vault doorway, accompanied by the blinding glare of tactical flashlights.
Victoria flinched, spinning around.
Standing in the doorway was Klaus Richter, the German executive. Beside him were five heavily armed Chicago police officers, their assault rifles trained directly on Victoria.
“Frau Sterling,” Klaus said, his thick accent dripping with disgust. “You are a very sloppy woman. When Mr. Sterling’s translator ran away, I decided to do some investigating of my own. I do not like being played for a fool in my business deals.”
Victoria’s face drained of color. The arrogance completely vanished, replaced by the cornered look of a trapped animal. She looked at the police, then at the bearer bonds in her hand, and finally at Julian.
Slowly, her hand lowered. The pearl-handled revolver clattered uselessly onto the concrete floor.
Two officers rushed forward, grabbing her arms and roughly slamming her against the wall to handcuff her. The bearer bonds scattered across the floor like worthless confetti.
“You haven't won, Julian,” Victoria hissed as they dragged her toward the door. “I’ll tie this company up in litigation for decades! You’ll never get it!”
Julian didn't even look at her. He kicked the gun away and dropped to his knees right in front of me and Lily.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands hovering over us, wanting to touch but afraid I would push him away. “Did she hurt her? Did she hurt you?”
I looked at his face. The cut on his forehead was bleeding, a drop of blood sliding down his cheek. I saw the absolute terror in his eyes—not fear for his company, not fear for his life, but terror that he had lost me.
I reached out, my trembling fingers brushing the blood from his cheek.
“We’re okay,” I whispered.
Julian let out a shuddering breath, his forehead dropping to rest against mine. For a moment, in the middle of a wrecked bank vault surrounded by police, the rest of the world ceased to exist.
“Excuse me,” a gentle voice said.
I looked up. Klaus Richter was standing there, holding the scattered pile of bearer bonds. He held them out to me, a respectful bow of his head.
“I believe these belong to you, Ms. Vance,” Klaus said. “Your father was a brilliant man. It is an honor to meet his daughter.”
I took the heavy parchment papers. The weight of twelve years of running, of hiding, of struggling to survive, seemed to vanish into the fiber of the paper.
“What happens now?” I asked Julian.
May you like
Julian stood up, offering me his hand. He pulled me to my feet, and then hoisted Lily effortlessly into his arms, where she instantly buried her face in his neck, trusting him implicitly.
“Now,” Julian said, a genuine, blinding smile breaking across his bruised face, “we go home.”
