Chapter 43 - Elias
Julian kept the tritium sights of his pistol aimed directly at the center of the man's chest.
"Elias," Julian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, gravelly register. "You have exactly three seconds to give me a reason not to put a bullet through your heart."
Elias smiled, a thin, humorless expression. He had been Julian’s mentor a lifetime ago, the man who had shaped him into a living weapon for The Directorate—a shadowy intelligence apparatus that operated above global governments.
"If you shoot me, Julian, the three sniper teams currently painting your daughter's bedroom window will receive an automated kill order."
Julian did not flinch, though a cold rage ignited in his chest.
"You're lying. My thermal grid is clean for two miles."
"Are you willing to bet Lily’s life on a thermal grid?" Elias challenged, taking a slow step forward. "We aren't the street thugs you slaughtered five years ago. We are the architects. We let you have your little retirement because you were useful. But now, The Directorate requires your specific set of skills."
Julian lowered the weapon slightly, calculating the variables.
"I am out, Elias. I made that clear."
"Nobody is ever out," Elias countered. "There is a target in Geneva. A rogue financier funding a cyber-warfare syndicate. We need him erased, and it needs to look like an internal dispute. You have forty-eight hours. If you complete the contract, we wipe your file permanently. If you refuse, or if you run, we will burn this mountain to ash with you and the girl inside it."
Elias tossed a secure, encrypted burner phone onto the damp earth.
May you like
"We will send the coordinates. Don't disappoint us, Julian."
Elias stepped back, fading into the shadows of the forest.
