Chapter 11 - The Shadow at the Door
|
Panic flared in my chest, but it was instantly swallowed by a cold, searing wave of fury. I slammed the laptop shut, jammed the silver thumb drive and the rusted key into my inner coat pocket, and pulled a heavy metal crowbar from my father's tool chest.
I stepped out of the storage unit, pulling the metal door down and locking it with a sharp click.
The concrete hallway of the storage facility was long, lit by flickering fluorescent tubes. Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the hum of the air conditioning unit.
As I rounded the corner toward the freight elevator, a shadow detached itself from the concrete pillar ahead.
Julian stepped into the light.
He wasn't wearing his tailored suit. He wore a dark hoodie pulled low, his face bruised and swollen from lack of sleep, his eyes bloodshot and unhinged.
"Give me the drive, Ara," Julian growled, stepping into my path and blocking the elevator doors. "You don't know what you're dealing with. You think this was just about a house?"
I raised the metal crowbar, holding it with both hands, stepping into a defensive stance despite the burning pain in my neck.
"Stay back, Julian," I said, my voice echoing off the concrete walls. "I know about Apex Holdings. I know you forged my father's signature with your mother."
Julian let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Your father was a fool! He thought he could build a empire and keep it all to himself. He owed people, Ara! Very dangerous people!"
May you like
"He didn't owe anyone," I countered, taking a step forward with the crowbar raised. "You robbed him. And then you targeted me so I wouldn't ask questions."
Julian took a sharp step toward me, reaching into his jacket—but before he could pull his hand out, the freight elevator doors behind him chimed and slid open.
