Chapter 6 - BLOOD TIES AND BROKEN BONDS
Before Nathaniel could get Vera out, a sleek black SUV tore into the trailer park, gravel flying. Nathaniel drew his weapon, pushing Vera to the floor. The door to the trailer was kicked in, but it wasn't Vivian's goons. It was Julian, heavily breathing, holding a revolver with trembling hands. Behind him stood Renata, looking utterly furious.
"Put it down, Nate!" Julian yelled, his eyes wide and panicked. "Mom tracked your burner phone pings. She sent a cleanup crew, but I got here first. Give me the nurse. Give me the kids."
"You want my daughters, Julian?" Nathaniel stepped forward, completely ignoring the gun pointed at his chest. "You want to finish the job Vivian started? You're a coward. You always have been."
"I didn't know about Elise! I swear to God, Nate, I didn't know!" Julian screamed, tears mixing with sweat on his face. "But Mom is right. If those kids come to light, the board will oust us. The scandal will ruin the company stock. I just... I just need you to disappear for a while. We can pay you off."
"You think you can buy my silence over my wife's murder?" Nathaniel laughed, a dark, terrifying sound.
"Shoot him, you idiot!" Renata shrieked, grabbing Julian’s arm. "If he leaves here, we're all going to prison!"
Julian hesitated, his hands shaking violently. "I can't kill my own brother, Ren."
"Then I will!" Renata lunged for the gun. In the ensuing struggle, the weapon discharged with a deafening crack. Julian gasped, looking down in shock at the blossoming red stain on his own stomach. He collapsed to the floor.
Renata screamed, dropping the gun as if it were on fire. Nathaniel didn't waste a second. He grabbed Renata by the hair and slammed her face into the wall, knocking her out cold. He looked down at his brother, who was coughing up blood.
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"Nate..." Julian wheezed. "Stop... stop Mom. She's crazy."
"I know," Nathaniel said coldly. He tossed a towel onto Julian’s wound. "If you survive this, brother, I suggest you plead guilty." He grabbed Vera and walked out over his brother's bleeding body.
