Chapter 7 - The Desperate Ploy
Julian was out on bail.
It had cost him every favor, every shady connection, and the last of his hidden crypto-wallets to get a judge to grant bail for both him and Beatrice pending trial.
He was desperate. Facing twenty years for fraud and another twenty for child abuse, Julian knew his only leverage was Leo. If he could get the boy, he could force Elena to drop the charges in exchange for the child's safety.
Using an unsavory private investigator, Julian tracked the license plate of the sedan Elena had used to escape. It led him to the marshlands.
It was pitch black when Julian cut the engine of his rental car a mile down the dirt road from the cabin. He had a loaded revolver in his jacket pocket. He wasn't thinking straight; he was operating on pure, toxic desperation.
He crept through the wet grass, approaching the back door of the cabin.
He picked the lock—a trick he’d learned in his younger, wilder days—and slipped into the dark kitchen. The house was silent.
Julian pulled the revolver, stepping quietly toward the hallway.
Suddenly, the cold, unmistakable metal of a gun barrel was pressed directly against the base of his skull.
"Drop it," a voice whispered from the darkness behind him. It was Elena.
Julian froze. "Elena, please—"
"I said, drop it."
Julian let the revolver fall to the floor. Before he could turn around, Elena kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to the ground. She moved with terrifying, fluid speed, zip-tying his wrists behind his back before he could even register the pain.
The kitchen lights snapped on. Marcus stood in the corner, holding a cup of coffee.
"You really thought you could sneak up on a tier-one operative?" Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. "You're dumber than you look, Julian."
Elena hauled Julian up by his collar, slamming him into a kitchen chair.
"You came for my son," Elena said, her eyes blazing with a maternal fury that made Julian genuinely fear for his life. "You chained him like a dog. You starved him. And now you dare to step foot in his home?"
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"I'm his father!" Julian sobbed, the reality of his situation finally breaking him. "I have rights!"
"You surrendered your rights the moment you put a collar on him," Elena hissed. She pulled out a secure satellite phone and dialed the local sheriff. "You just violated your bail by carrying a firearm and breaking into a residence. Have fun in maximum security, Julian."
