Chapter 5 - The Mastermind
Theodore stared at her, feeling as though the concrete pier had suddenly dropped out from underneath him.
"My parents are both dead, Gabrielle," Theodore said, trying to process her terrifying claim.
"I have no family left except for my younger brother, Julian."
Gabrielle closed her eyes tightly, letting out a ragged, heartbreaking sigh.
"Julian is the one who hired Brianna to frame me," she confessed into the cold wind.
Theodore shook his head violently, refusing to believe that his own flesh and blood could be capable of such evil.
Julian was the charming, carefree vice president of Callahan Tower, the golden boy of Houston high society.
"Why would Julian ever want to destroy our marriage?" Theodore demanded, his voice echoing loudly in the quiet harbor.
Victor climbed down from the shipping containers and walked over to them, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.
"She is telling the absolute truth, Theodore," Victor stated grimly.
"While you were signing over the company, I was tracing the routing numbers of Brianna's offshore holding account."
Victor held up his digital tablet to show Theodore the complicated banking schematic.
"The money did not stay in Brianna's account; it immediately bounced to a private trust fund owned by Julian Callahan," Victor explained.
Theodore felt a cold, murderous rage replace the blood in his veins.
His own brother had orchestrated the fake photographs, planted the stolen necklace, and ordered a hit squad to murder his nephews.
Julian wanted total, uncontested control of the Callahan real estate empire, and Theodore's heirs were a direct threat to his inheritance.
"We need to get you and the babies to a secure safe house immediately," Victor said, ushering them toward his armored vehicle.
They drove in silence through the dark, deserted streets of the industrial district.
Theodore sat in the back seat, watching Gabrielle gently feed the twins with a bottle she had hidden in her pocket.
He looked at the tiny, perfect faces of his sons and felt an overwhelming wave of fierce, protective love.
He was going to tear his brother's life apart piece by piece.
They arrived at a heavily fortified, windowless concrete building that Victor used as a private security bunker.
Gabrielle laid the sleeping babies down gently in a makeshift crib lined with soft blankets.
Theodore walked over to a heavy steel gun safe in the corner of the room and began loading a tactical pistol.
"I am going to Callahan Tower right now to end this," Theodore announced, his voice devoid of all emotion.
"You cannot go alone, Julian controls the entire building's security apparatus," Victor warned, grabbing his own weapons.
May you like
Suddenly, the heavy steel door of the bunker began to glow with a bright, terrifying orange heat.
Someone was using a thermal cutting torch to burn straight through the reinforced locks.
