Chapter 4 - The Puppet Master's ContractI stared down at the photograph, the cold metal of the pistol heavy in my trembling hand.
“Dr. Reed...?” I choked out, my voice barely audible behind my wired teeth.
“The real Dr. Reed was murdered three days ago, Clara,” Julian said, taking a calm step into my kitchen and setting his leather gloves on the marble island. “The man who treated you at St. Catherine’s, the man who called 911... he wasn't a doctor. He was an undercover operative working directly for me.”
My mind raced through the memories of that night. The quiet nod, the deliberate step into the hallway, the precise way he pointed out the finger-shaped bruises to the police.
“Why?” I managed to ask, keeping my gun pointed squarely at Julian’s chest.
“Because Grant was out of control,” Julian explained smoothly. “His violent impulses were threatening our international holdings. He was sloppy. He was videotaping his abuse. He was leaving a paper trail that a blind auditor could follow. I needed a reason to strip him of his voting power in the family trust. You were that reason, Clara.”
“You used me,” I typed onto my tablet, the automated voice echoing coldly in the small room. “You let him beat me for three years just so you could take his money.”
“I didn't let him do anything,” Julian corrected, his eyes narrowing. “You stayed. You gathered evidence. You played the dutiful victim until you had enough leverage. We are very similar, you and I. We both use people's flaws to destroy them.”
Julian leaned forward, resting his palms on the marble island. “Here is my proposal, Clara. Hand over the master encryption key to the Geneva accounts. In exchange, I will give you Maya. She is alive, well, and currently waiting at a private airstrip twenty miles outside the city. Refuse, and Marcus Vance will ensure you are charged with the murder of the real Dr. Elias Reed. His blood is already on the steering wheel of your old car.”
I looked at Julian, then at the two armed men standing by the door.
I knew that if I gave him the master key, he would kill both me and Maya the moment he confirmed the funds were transferred. A man like Julian Mercer leaves no loose ends.
I slowly lowered my gun and placed it on the counter.
“The master key isn't on a flash drive,” I said, speaking through my teeth, forcing the words out through the pain. “It’s hardcoded into my former State AG workstation. The one locked in Marcus’s private office at the federal building.”
Julian smiled—a terrifying, calculated smile that mirrored Grant’s, but with none of the madness.
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“Then I guess we’re going to break into the Attorney General’s office tonight,” Julian said.
CHAPTER 4 HOOK: We breach the federal building under the cover of darkness, but when we open Marcus's office door, the lights flick on. Sitting in the leather swivel chair isn't Marcus—it's Grant, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, holding a detonator.
