Chapter 10 - THE MASTERMIND|
"Adrian! Please! We were friends for ten years!" Julian wept, clutching his broken nose as Adrian threw him into a heavy leather chair.
Adrian walked over to the desk, picked up Julian's leather duffel bag, and dumped its contents onto the floor. Passports, foreign currency, and encrypted hard drives spilled across the rug.
"My wife is in ICU, Julian," Adrian said softly, pulling a heavy brass paperweight off the desk. "She gave away her family legacy to buy my freedom today. Do you know what else she gave me?"
Julian shook his head frantically, blood dripping onto his lapels. "No! I don't know!"
"An ultrasound," Adrian whispered, his voice cracking slightly before returning to pure steel. "Eleven weeks."
Julian’s eyes widened in sheer horror. "I didn't know she was pregnant! I swear to God, Adrian! I just wanted the shipping manifests! I didn't want anyone to die!"
Adrian raised the brass paperweight and struck Julian across the kneecap with terrifying force.
CRACK!
Julian let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed off the glass walls, clutching his shattered leg as tears streamed down his face.
"Who ordered the hit on her car, Julian?" Adrian asked coldly, raising the paperweight again. "Give me a name before I hit the other knee."
"Dominic Thorne!" Julian shrieked, gasping for air. "Thorne! The syndicate leader in Detroit! He threatened to kill my family if I didn't hand over Vale Meridian's eastern ports! He saw Mrs. Vale leave the prosecutor's office today and realized she had the ledgers! He ordered the flatbed truck!"
Adrian lowered the paperweight.
"Thorne," Adrian repeated softly.
"Yes! Thorne!" Julian sobbed. "He's at his private estate in Lake Forest right now! He's leaving the country at dawn on his yacht!"
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Adrian turned to Marcus, his lead security chief standing by the door.
"Hand Julian over to the detectives downstairs," Adrian ordered flatly. "And get the cars ready. We're going to Lake Forest."
