Chapter 4 - The House of Cards
The color drained from Julian’s face so fast he looked like a corpse standing in the doorway. His father, Arthur, stumbled backward, catching himself on the doorframe as his glass of bourbon finally slipped from his hand, smashing onto the floorboards.
"You... you're lying," Arthur whispered, his booming voice reduced to a raspy whine. "The network in this valley is jammed! We installed signal inhibitors!"
"You installed commercial-grade 4G blockers," I replied, taking a step toward them, sheltering Audrey behind me. "My phone operates on an encrypted satellite relay band used by federal law enforcement. I built the grid for the AG's office seven years ago. Did you really think I wouldn't check the frequency before I walked up your steps?"
Downstairs, heavy boots thundered through the foyer. Glass shattered as tactical officers breached the patio doors.
"POLICE! STATE TROOPERS! HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!" Marcus Vance’s voice bellowed from the bottom of the grand staircase, echoed by the stomping of dozens of heavy combat boots rising toward the second floor.
Julian’s eyes darted wildly between me, the doorway, and the open window behind the bed. Panic seized him completely. He raised the 9mm pistol directly toward my head.
"I’m not going to prison for you!" Julian shrieked, his thumb flicking the safety off. "I’ll kill you both and say it was self-defense!"
Before his finger could apply pressure to the trigger, I lunged forward.
I didn't draw a weapon. I seized his right wrist with both hands, driving my thumbs into the nerve cluster beneath his radial joint. Julian let out a high-pitched scream as his fingers involuntarily uncurled, the heavy handgun clattering uselessly to the floor.
In the same fluid motion, I twisted his arm behind his shoulder, driving his face violently into the doorframe. The wood cracked under the impact. He collapsed onto his knees, groaning in agony as I pressed my boot firmly into the small of his back, pinning him to the floor.
"That’s for touching my daughter," I growled into his ear.
Tactical officers flooded the hallway, rifles raised, weapon lights cutting through the dim bedroom.
"CLEAR! CLEAR!" Marcus yelled, stepping into the room with his sidearm drawn. He looked down at Julian pinned beneath my boot, then at Arthur and Miriam cowering against the wall.
"Marcus," I said, my voice ice-cold as I stepped back, letting two state troopers throw heavy steel handcuffs around Julian’s wrists. "Take them into custody. The drive containing the complete offshore ledger is buried beneath the floorboards in the master closet. My daughter needs medical attention immediately."
Marcus looked at Arthur Thorne, who was currently being forced against the wall by a trooper, screaming about his political connections and threatening to sue the entire department.
"Save your breath, Arthur," Marcus said, pulling a folded federal warrant from his jacket. "The Federal Grand Jury in Dallas issued a sealed indictment twenty minutes ago based on the satellite transmission. You’re not going to county jail. You’re going to the federal holdover facility in Austin."
Audrey stood up slowly from the bed, wrapping my canvas coat tightly around her shivers. She looked at Julian, who was being dragged past her in handcuffs, his face bruised and streaming with tears.
Julian looked up at her, his voice cracking. "Audrey... please... talk to your dad! We can fix this! I love you!"
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Audrey stopped. She looked down at him with an expression devoid of fear, devoid of pain—filled only with absolute, unshakeable disgust.
"You didn't love me, Julian," Audrey said, her voice clear and strong despite her bruised throat. "You just wanted a captive. And my father just broke your cage."
