Chapter 4 - The Hostage
My blood turned to absolute ice in my veins.
I slowly raised both of my hands into the air as Julian took a step closer.
"I was just looking for Eli's favorite blanket," I lied, praying my voice would not crack.
Julian let out a dark and humorless laugh that echoed off the nursery walls.
"Do not insult my intelligence, Clara," he sneered.
He kicked the small metal lockbox across the room until it rested against his expensive leather shoes.
"I knew Evelyn hid something before I finally got rid of her, but I could never figure out where she put it," Julian explained.
He bent down to pick up the box while keeping the gun aimed steadily at my heart.
"You see, my brother is a genius with software, but he is completely blind to betrayal," he continued.
Julian confessed that he had been selling the company's military contracts to a foreign syndicate for years.
Evelyn had discovered the missing funds and the illegal wire transfers shortly before she died.
"She was going to ruin everything I built, so I had to make sure her brakes failed on that cliff," he said casually.
I stared at him in pure disgust.
"Nathaniel will kill you when he finds out what you did to his wife," I promised him.
Julian simply smiled and shook his head in amusement.
"Nathaniel is not going to do anything, because you are going to help me destroy this evidence," he replied.
He tossed a small roll of duct tape onto the floor in front of me.
"Tie your own ankles together, Clara, or I will go out to the garden and shoot your precious little Sophia," he threatened.
My heart shattered into a million pieces at the mention of my daughter.
I slowly reached down and picked up the heavy silver tape.
Suddenly, a loud fire alarm began blaring throughout the entire mansion with a deafening screech.
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Thick gray smoke began pouring through the air conditioning vents in the ceiling.
Julian coughed and instinctively lowered his weapon for a fraction of a second.
