Chapter 6 - Blood and Water
The weekend was a descent into madness for my family. Elias and I monitored their communications from the safety of the penthouse. Julian was desperately trying to pawn off stolen assets to Russian buyers, but Elias had already frozen the digital pathways.
Late Sunday night, the intercom in the penthouse buzzed.
"Mrs. Thorne," the doorman's voice came through. "Your brother is in the lobby. He's demanding to see you. He seems... unwell."
Elias, who had been reviewing legal briefs in a t-shirt and sweatpants, looked up. "Send him up," he told the doorman. He looked at me. "Stay behind me."
Julian burst out of the private elevator before the doors had fully opened. He looked manic. His eyes were bloodshot, his tuxedo from two days ago stained and rumpled. He had a heavy brass statue he must have grabbed from the lobby in his right hand.
"Where is it?!" Julian screamed, his eyes locking onto me. "The IT guys finally traced the data leak! It came from your terminal, Clara! You didn't wipe the drives! You sold us out to this old freak for a bigger cut!"
He lunged at me, swinging the heavy brass statue.
I braced for the impact, but it never came.
Elias moved with blinding speed. He didn't have the Silas mask on. He caught Julian’s wrist mid-swing, the sound of bone cracking echoing through the marble foyer. Julian shrieked, dropping the statue as Elias twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him face-first into the mahogany wall.
"Who the hell are you?!" Julian sobbed, blood pouring from his nose.
"I'm the ghost you created twelve years ago," Elias whispered into Julian's ear, his voice laced with pure venom. "My name is Elias Vance. And you just made the biggest mistake of your pathetic life by trying to touch my wife."
Julian’s eyes went wide with realization, then sheer terror. "Vance? No... no, that's impossible. Clara, he's going to kill us!"
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"He's not going to kill you, Julian," I said, stepping forward, my voice eerily calm. "He's going to let you live a long, miserable life in a federal penitentiary."
Elias dragged Julian back to the elevator, throwing him inside like a sack of garbage. "Tell Arthur he has twelve hours. Tomorrow morning, the board meets. And I'm collecting."
