Chapter 4 - Shadows Of The Past
The basement of the Mercer estate was soundproof. It was designed for business meetings that couldn't happen anywhere else.
By the time I walked down the concrete steps, Marcus had already secured the package. Victor was strapped to a heavy steel chair in the center of the room. His tailored suit was ruined, his face bruised from where Marcus's men had apprehended him near the gates.
"Julian!" Victor yelled as I stepped into the dim light. "What the hell is this? Your men have lost their minds!"
I didn't say a word. I simply walked over to the metal table against the wall, took off my suit jacket, and carefully rolled up the sleeves of my dress shirt.
"Julian, talk to me!" Victor pleaded, the first edge of real panic seeping into his voice. "We've been brothers for fifteen years! I helped you build this syndicate!"
I picked up a heavy steel wrench, feeling its weight in my hands, before turning to face him. "You helped me build it," I agreed softly. "And then you tried to take it."
Victor's eyes widened. "What? No! I would never—"
"A blown tire, Victor?" I interrupted, my voice eerily calm as I walked toward him. "That's the best you could do? You couldn't challenge me like a man, so you tampered with my wife's car while my children watched you from the playroom window?"
All the color drained from Victor's face. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. The silver scar on his neck seemed to pulse under the harsh basement lights.
"They were terrified of the dark," I whispered, standing right in front of him. "Not because they were fragile. But because they knew the monster lived in our house. You rattled their doorknob tonight, Victor. You threatened my boys."
"Julian, please," Victor begged, his facade completely shattering. "I had to! She found out about the offshore accounts. She was going to tell you I was skimming! I panicked!"
"You murdered the mother of my children for money," I stated, the coldness spreading through my veins until there was nothing left but ice.
"I'll give it all back! I'll leave the country! You'll never see me again!"
"You're right about that," I said.
I didn't outsource this. I didn't have Marcus do it. When a man comes for your family, you don't delegate the punishment. You deliver it yourself.
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For the next hour, I unleashed every ounce of the ruthless mob boss the world feared. I poured a year of my children's night terrors, a year of my own blind failure, and a year of agonizing grief into every strike.
When it was over, the shadow man was gone for good. But the hardest part of the night was still ahead of me. I had to go back upstairs and face the woman who had protected my family when I couldn't.
