Chapter 13 - The Inmate's Confession
The sterile visiting room of the federal penitentiary smelled of bleach and absolute despair.
I sat on a hard metal chair, waiting for the guards to bring my ex-husband through the heavy steel doors.
Arthur looked entirely broken, his expensive suits replaced by a bright orange jumpsuit that hung loosely on his frail frame.
He picked up the heavy black telephone through the thick plexiglass, unable to look me in the eye.
I did not waste time with pleasantries or asking him how he was surviving his ten-year sentence.
I pressed the photograph of Julian against the glass, forcing Arthur to look at his estranged brother's face.
Arthur visibly flinched, a fresh wave of terror washing over his pale, sunken features.
I demanded to know everything Arthur knew about Julian’s weaknesses, his habits, and his deepest fears.
Arthur stammered, claiming he had not spoken to Julian since the day the entire cartel operation fell apart.
I leaned closer to the glass, reminding Arthur that his mother, Victoria, was currently living happily with her grandchildren.
I threatened to cut Victoria out of our lives completely if Arthur did not tell me exactly what I needed to know.
Arthur began to cry, the pathetic tears of a man who had already lost everything of value in his life.
He confessed that Julian had a secret safe house, an old property registered under their deceased father's name.
It was an abandoned warehouse on the industrial side of the city, totally off the grid and untraceable to Julian's current aliases.
Arthur also revealed that Julian suffered from a severe medical condition, a rare blood clotting disorder that required daily medication.
If Julian was backed into a corner and lost access to his specialized prescriptions, he would physically collapse within days.
I memorized every single detail, offering Arthur a cold, emotionless nod of acknowledgement.
Before I hung up the phone, Arthur pressed his hand against the glass and begged me to keep the twins safe.
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He told me that Julian had always been a monster, long before Brooke or the cartel ever came into the picture.
I stood up, adjusting my designer coat, and told Arthur that monsters did not scare me anymore.
