Chapter 3 - THE DEMOLITION OF A CAREER"I—I didn't know," Colin choked out, stumbling backward until his spine slammed hard against the sticky wood of the bar counter. A row of clean shot glasses rattled and toppled over, shattering on the floor.
"That is your primary flaw," Julian said, pulling his hand out of his jacket pocket. He wasn't holding a gun. He was holding a sleek, obsidian-black tablet. "You never know anything until it’s already crushing your windpipe."
Julian tapped the screen twice.
Across the city, in a high-rise glass tower overlooking the financial district, automated servers executed a sequence written thirty minutes ago by Julian’s legal and cyber-intelligence divisions.
Colin’s cell phone—tucked securely in his breast pocket—suddenly began to buzz. A frantic, continuous vibration.
Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
"Check it," Julian urged softly. "Go on. It's your board of directors."
With shaking, sweat-slicked fingers, Colin pulled the phone out. He unlocked the screen. One glance at the notification banner made his eyes roll back in his head.
Account Frozen. Employment Terminated for Cause. Federal Audit Initiated: Embezzlement and Wire Fraud.
"No," Colin breathed, dropping the phone. It clattered against the broken glass at his feet. "No, you can't do that. That—that’s illegal! I have a contract! I have stock options!"
"You had options," Julian corrected, adjusting his cuffs with immaculate precision. "Past tense. As of forty seconds ago, Sterling Logistics doesn't just fire you; they’re pressing criminal charges. Your corporate apartments are being cleared out by sunrise. Your bank accounts are currently being re-routed into a municipal fund for battered women—ironic, isn't it?"
Colin dropped to his knees. The exact same spot where he had shoved me thirty seconds prior.
The irony was thick enough to choke on.
"Nora," Colin whimpered, crawling forward on all fours, reaching out a trembling hand to grab the hem of my scuffed boots. "Nora, please. We were together. You know me. Tell him to stop. Tell him it’s a joke!"
I looked down at him. Five years ago, those hands had pushed me away, had locked doors in my face, had signed papers discarding my existence like trash. Now, those same hands were clutching dirt from a dive-bar floor.
May you like
I stepped back, pulling my boot free from his grip.
"I told you I didn't want trouble, Colin," I said quietly. "You just didn't listen."
