PART 9 — The Blood Bond
Julian stepped out of the smoking car. His face was rigid, his hands still gripping the steering wheel as if he were still driving. He looked toward the spot where Arthur lay groaning in pain among the broken pallets, and then at me and his mother.
"Mother!" Julian called out. He rushed to Monique and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
Monique wept and clung to her son. "Julian... how... how did you know we were here?"
Julian looked at me. "Lucas called me. He told me you got a threatening message. I tracked your car using the GPS tracker I placed on your vehicle when I was at your house last night."
I stared at him in surprise. "You tracked me?"
"I wanted to make sure you wouldn't do anything reckless with the inheritance," Julian said honestly, his voice turned ice-cold again. "But when I saw you driving to this abandoned shipyard, I realized something was wrong. And then I found the Rosewood Holdings files on my mother's laptop."
He looked at Arthur, who was groaning as he tried to crawl up. His leg was bent at an unnatural angle. He was severely injured, but still alive.
"Arthur Vance-Clair," Julian said casually as he walked toward the wounded man. "The man who blackmailed my father for thirty years."
"Blackmailed?" I repeated, perplexed. "Arthur said Daniel scammed him!"
Julian laughed bitterly. He bent forward and picked up the gun that had flown from Arthur's hand. He checked the magazine and smoothly aimed it at Arthur's chest.
"Arthur lies like he breathes," Julian said. "Twenty years ago, he didn't just steal two million. He used your parents' family business to finance illegal arms trafficking. When Daniel found out, he wanted to go to the police. But Arthur threatened to kill you and the children if Daniel didn't send him money monthly."
I looked from Julian to Arthur. Arthur's eyes were wild with fury, but he couldn't speak through the intense pain.
"For thirty years," Julian continued, "Daniel siphoned money away. Not just for my mother and me... but for Arthur's slush fund. Daniel was trying to protect us all, Claire! He kept the second family secret because Arthur threatened to kill me if Daniel admitted he had an illegitimate son!"
The puzzle pieces were finally coming together, but the picture that emerged was more horrific than I could have ever imagined.
Daniel was no monster who maintained two families for his own pleasure. He was a man trapped for thirty years between my brother's ruthless blackmail and the desperate urge to protect both of his families.
"And the night of the accident?" I asked in a trembling voice.
"Daniel had finally gathered enough courage," Monique said softly from the side. "He discovered Arthur had returned to town. He wanted to give all the documents to you, Claire. He wanted to lay the whole truth on the table and turn himself in to the police so Arthur couldn't blackmail him anymore. But Arthur found out."
"He forced Daniel into the car," Julian added. "And then he caused the crash."
Julian flipped off the safety catch on the gun. He looked down at Arthur on the floor. The hatred in his eyes was razor-sharp.
"He killed my father," Julian whispered. "And he abused my mother. It ends here."
"Julian, no!" Monique cried out. "Don't do it! If you shoot him, you're no better than he is!"
"He deserves nothing less!" Julian shouted. His finger tightened around the trigger.
"Julian, listen to me!" I shouted, taking a step forward. "If you shoot him dead now, you'll go to prison for the rest of your life! Then he wins! Then he destroys Daniel and you!"
Julian hesitated. His hand trembled.
At that exact moment, sirens echoed in the distance. Blue and red lights reflected against the wet windows of the warehouse. Lucas had called the police.
Arthur let out a painful, raspy laugh. "Shoot then... bastard," he whispered provocatively to Julian. "Shoot me... and ruin your life just like your father ruined his."
Julian stared at the man on the ground. The sirens grew louder and closer.
Then Julian slowly lowered his arm. He looked at me. A deep, unfathomable sorrow lay in his gaze.
"He's your brother, Claire," Julian said with a broken voice. "You decide what happens to him."
But before I could say anything, Arthur began coughing violently. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He looked down at his own chest. Only now did I see that a long, sharp steel spike from the broken pallet had impaled deep into his side during the collision.
Arthur stared at me with wide-open eyes. "Claire..." he whispered with his last breath. "I'm sorry... about... the secret..."
His head fell to the side. His eyes remained lifelessly staring at the ceiling.
