Chapter 7 - The Traitor Was Sitting at Julian’s TableAdrian attacked Julian’s empire without firing a bullet.
Accounts froze.
Warehouses were raided.
Two union officials stopped answering calls.
Three shipping contracts disappeared overnight.
A city inspector suddenly discovered forty-seven violations across businesses connected to Julian.
Someone knew everything.
Routes.
Names.
Front companies.
Emergency accounts.
“Internal,” Rafael said.
They stood around Julian’s dining table at two in the morning.
Nadia sat beside Evelyn.
Her mother was recovering quickly now that the drugs were leaving her system.
“Who has access?” Nadia asked.
Julian listed six names.
Rafael.
His attorney Marcus Vale.
Operations chief Stefan Rizzo.
Accountant Elaine Mercer.
Security coordinator Paul Draven.
And Julian himself.
Nadia looked around the table.
All five were present.
Interesting.
Marcus wore an immaculate suit despite the hour.
Stefan looked furious.
Elaine looked exhausted.
Paul remained silent.
Rafael ate almonds.
Nadia watched.
People underestimated waitresses.
They underestimated bakers even more.
But Nadia had spent years surviving by noticing moods before they became violence.
Colton’s breathing.
The angle of his shoulders.
The way his jaw changed before he hit her.
Survival had trained her in body language better than any interrogation course.
Julian spoke.
“Adrian has current information.”
Nobody reacted.
Almost nobody.
Paul Draven looked toward the window.
Only for half a second.
Nadia noticed.
Julian continued.
“The person feeding him information is in this room.”
Elaine swore.
Stefan stood.
Marcus demanded evidence.
Paul said nothing.
Rafael kept eating almonds.
Nadia watched Paul.
Then she looked at his shoes.
Mud.
Red clay.
It had not rained in Chicago that day.
But it had rained near Lake Geneva.
“Paul.”
Everyone stopped.
He looked at her.
“Yes?”
“Where were you this afternoon?”
Julian turned.
Paul’s face remained calm.
“Managing the south warehouse.”
“Outside?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of ground?”
“What?”
“The warehouse. Asphalt?”
“Mostly.”
Nadia pointed.
“Then why are your shoes covered in red clay?”
Paul looked down.
Too late.
Rafael stopped eating.
Paul moved.
His hand went inside his jacket.
Julian was faster.
A gun appeared beneath the table.
“Don’t.”
Paul froze.
Rafael took his weapon.
Stefan swore.
Marcus stepped backward.
Julian stared at Paul.
“How long?”
Paul laughed bitterly.
“Longer than you think.”
“Adrian?”
“Your father understands loyalty.”
“My father understands fear.”
“Same thing when done properly.”
Nadia flinched at the sentence.
Julian didn’t.
“Where is Claire’s son?”
Paul smiled.
“Alive.”
“Where?”
“You think I’m afraid of you?”
“No.”
Julian leaned back.
“You’re afraid of him.”
Paul’s smile vanished.
Julian nodded.
“That’s why you’ll talk.”
“I won’t.”
“You will because Adrian has never rewarded loyalty. He rewards usefulness.”
Julian slid a phone across the table.
A photograph appeared.
Paul’s wife.
His daughter.
At an airport.
Paul stared.
“What did you do?”
“Got them out.”
Paul’s face collapsed.
“They’re safe?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Paul looked at Julian.
“Why?”
“Because your daughter is twelve.”
Julian’s voice remained quiet.
“She didn’t betray me.”
Paul began crying.
Nobody moved.
Finally he whispered an address.
Rafael wrote it down.
“Claire’s son?”
“Yes.”
“Adrian?”
“No.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Next move?”
Paul swallowed.
“He wants the ledger assembled.”
“Why?”
“To destroy it.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
“He doesn’t want to destroy it.”
“What does he want?” Nadia asked.
“To own everyone on it.”
Evelyn’s face went pale.
“He spent eighteen years trying to reconstruct what I stole. If he gets the complete ledger, he doesn’t erase the network.”
She looked at Julian.
“He inherits it.”
Julian’s jaw tightened.
Paul whispered, “There’s more.”
“What?”
“He wants Nadia.”
Julian went still.
Nadia didn’t.
“Why?”
Paul looked at her.
“Because Evelyn built the encryption around family memories.”
Nadia frowned.
“What?”
“The complete ledger requires a phrase.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“No.”
Nadia turned.
“What phrase?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mom.”
“I deliberately made myself forget.”
“How?”
“Trauma helped.”
Evelyn looked ashamed.
“I designed the system so Nadia would remember what I couldn’t.”
Julian’s phone rang.
Unknown.
He answered on speaker.
Adrian.
“You always did collect strays, Julian.”
Julian’s expression hardened.
“Paul failed.”
“He always was weak.”
Paul closed his eyes.
Julian said, “Your mistake was threatening his family.”
“No. My mistake was raising a sentimental son.”
Nadia leaned toward the phone.
“Adrian.”
Silence.
Then a pleased laugh.
“Nadia Ashford.”
“Calloway.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nadia Calloway.”
She looked at Evelyn.
“My father’s name.”
Adrian chuckled.
“Daniel was inconvenient.”
Julian’s hand tightened.
Nadia’s voice remained steady.
“You murdered him.”
“Yes.”
The casual answer nearly broke her.
But Nadia had spent years giving violent men emotional reactions they enjoyed.
Not anymore.
“Then you should know something about me.”
“What?”
“I’m not six anymore.”
Adrian laughed.
“No. You’re much more useful now.”
The line disconnected.
Thirty seconds later Rafael’s phone buzzed.
A photograph.
Claire.
Tied to a chair.
Beside her, a young man.
Her son.
A message beneath it.
BRING EVELYN AND NADIA.
MIDNIGHT TOMORROW.
OR THEY DIE.
Julian read it.
“No.”
Nadia looked at him.
“We’re going.”
“No.”
She raised an eyebrow.
Julian closed his eyes.
“Right.”
He corrected himself.
“I strongly object to going.”
“Noted.”
Rafael almost smiled.
Evelyn stood.
“I’ll go.”
Nadia turned.
“Mom.”
“This started with me.”
“No.”
“It did.”
“And it continued through me.”
Nadia took her mother’s hand.
“We don’t hand ourselves over.”
She looked at Julian.
“We make him think we will.”
Julian studied her.
A slow, dangerous smile appeared.
“What are you thinking?”
Nadia looked at the photograph.
“Adrian believes everyone around him can be controlled by fear.”
May you like
She pointed to Claire.
“Let’s make that assumption expensive.”
