Chapter 2 - Dead Men Tell No Truths
My phone buzzed against my thigh with an insistent, sharp vibration. I kept my eyes locked onto Julian's throat, calculating precisely how many fractions of a second it would take to crush his windpipe before he could reach for any concealed weapon. But the sheer audacity of his smirk warned me that physical violence was exactly the trap he wanted me to spring.
""Don't look away, Jack,"" Julian taunted softly. ""A true king always monitors his perimeter.""
I reached into my pocket with my left hand, keeping my right arm poised like a coiled spring. The lock screen flashed with a high-priority alert from my surveillance command center at Blackwood Tower. It was an automated red-flag video feed.
I tapped the screen.
The security monitors showed my fortified penthouse downtown. The heavy steel vault in my private office—the one hidden behind the mahogany bookcase where my grandfather's original ledgers and bearer bonds were stored—stood wide open. The laser tripwires were deactivated, and standing right in front of the empty safe was someone wearing a maid's uniform, casually stuffing thick dossiers into a leather duffel bag.
It was Maria. The gentle, sixty-year-old housekeeper who had raised me since I was seven years old. The woman who had baked Lily gingerbread cookies only yesterday afternoon.
My vision flared red. Betrayal from Daniel had stung, but it hadn't shocked me; brothers fight for the crown every day in our line of work. But Maria? She was family. She was untouchable.
""What did you do to her?"" I demanded, my voice dropping into a guttural rumble.
""I didn't do anything to her, Jackson,"" Julian laughed, shaking his head. ""Maria was loyal to my father long before your family shoved the Bennetts out of the shipping docks fifteen years ago. Did you really think she loved you? She was our insurance policy. And while you were playing the gallant hero, arranging church flowers and letting a toddler put cheap plastic on your finger, she emptied your empire's deepest secrets.""
Sarah suddenly stepped forward, her veil trembling as she clutched Mark's shaking hands. ""Julian, stop this! If you're alive, take whatever money you want and leave us alone! Lily doesn't even remember your face—she was only ten months old!""
""She remembers my name, don't you, sweetie?"" Julian knelt down, extending his arms toward the little girl.
Lily paused. Her enormous brown eyes darted between the stranger kneeling on the floor and me. Toddlers have an instinct for predators that adults often overlook; she sensed the razor-sharp tension suffocating the room. She shrank backward, grabbing the leg of my dress trousers and hiding her face behind my knee.
""Go away,"" she mumbled into my pants leg. ""Uncle Jack is Teddy's husband. Not you.""
A flicker of dark rage twisted Julian's handsome features. He stood up abruptly, brushing off the knees of his trousers. The charming veneer cracked, revealing the psychotic arrogance underneath.
""Keep the brat for now, Blackwood. Enjoy playing house,"" Julian said coldly. ""Because by tomorrow morning, the federal prosecutor's office will receive the complete unredacted shipment logs from Maria. The ones linking your private shipping line to international arms trafficking. Your brother Daniel wasn't the mastermind, Jack. Daniel was just the bait. I let you put him in prison so you would lower your guard.""
""You think the feds scare me?"" I took a menacing step toward him, closing the distance until our chests nearly brushed. ""You forgot who runs this city. The feds can investigate all they want. But you? You have to survive the night in Chicago.""
Julian tapped his watch against his palm. ""I'm already protected, Jack. Check the news in ten minutes. The United States Marshals Service will announce the primary witness in the Blackwood Syndicate takedown. Guess who got full federal immunity two hours ago?""
He turned on his heel, offering a dramatic theatrical bow to the horrified congregation.
""Congratulations on the nuptials, Sarah. I won't contest the divorce anymore. After all, it's hard to stay married to a woman when her best friend is going to spend the rest of his life inside a federal supermax.""
He walked toward the cathedral doors, whistling a cheerful tune that echoed off the ancient stone walls. My guards looked to me, silently begging for the order to put a bullet through the back of his skull.
I held up two fingers, shaking my head. ""Follow him. Do not engage. Find out where he sleeps, who is funding him, and who provided the fake death certificate two years ago.""
I turned back to the altar. The wedding was ruined. Sarah was sobbing in Mark's arms, the priest was crossing himself repeatedly, and Lily was looking up at me with tears welling in her eyes.
May you like
""Uncle Jack?"" she whimpered, holding up her plush bear whose toilet-paper veil was now crushed. ""Teddy scared.""
I scooped her up into one arm, resting her securely against my broad chest. ""Teddy doesn't need to be scared, princess,"" I whispered, kissing her forehead. ""Uncle Jack is going to take out the trash.""
