Chapter 11 - The Wolf in the House
Elias stepped out into the ruined living room. The wind was howling through the breached windows. The emergency red lights flickered ominously.
"Julian!" Elias roared, picking up his shotgun with his good arm. "Your men are dead or bleeding out. It’s just you and me. Step into the light!"
"I'm right behind you, Elias," a cold voice whispered.
Elias spun around, raising the shotgun, but he was a fraction of a second too slow. Julian swung a heavy iron fireplace poker, striking the barrel of the shotgun and knocking it out of Elias's hands.
Before Elias could react, Julian delivered a brutal kick to Elias's wounded shoulder. Elias fell to his knees, gasping in pain, as Julian stepped over him, pressing the tip of the iron poker against Elias's throat.
Julian looked immaculate, completely untouched by the violence that had destroyed the house. "You put up a good fight for a guy who fixes valves for a living. But you were never a killer, Elias. That’s why Clara left you. You’re too soft."
"She didn't leave me," Elias choked out, staring up into the eyes of a psychopath. "She was hiding from you."
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"And look how well that worked out," Julian sneered. "Now, give me the code to the cellar. I’m going to go downstairs, smother my lovely children in their sleep, and then I'm going to shoot you with your own gun. A tragic murder-suicide perpetrated by a deranged, estranged uncle."
Julian reached down, grabbing Elias by the collar, hauling him to his feet. "The code, Doctor. Or I start breaking your fingers."
