CHAPTER 8: Blood and Iron
The bullet hit the pavement inches from Adrian’s feet, sending sparks flying into the night air.
Adrian screamed and fell backward, dropping the flash drive onto the wet concrete.
From the shadows behind me, three black SUVs pulled up, their headlights blinding us. Doors slammed open, and armed men in tactical gear poured out, securing the perimeter.
My father, Richard Laurent, stepped out of the lead vehicle. An aide held a large black umbrella over his head. He walked with slow, deliberate steps toward us, his expression unreadable.
“Father,” I said, stepping between him and Adrian. “What is this?”
“He threatened my daughter,” Richard said calmly. “And he threatened my family.”
Adrian scrambled backward on his hands and knees, grabbing the flash drive. “Stay back! I’ll release it! I swear to God, Laurent, I’ll ruin you!”
Richard didn’t even look at Adrian. He looked at me. “Evelyn, get in the car. It’s time to go home.”
“No,” I said, standing my ground. “Not until you tell me the truth. Did you kill Arthur Vale?”
My father stopped. For the first time in my life, I saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes—not anger, but deep, ancient regret.
“Arthur was my friend, Evelyn,” Richard said quietly. “He was brilliant, but he was unstable. He made dangerous deals with the syndicate to fund his trading algorithm. When he couldn't pay them back, they took his life. I erased his records and hid his family to protect Adrian from the same people who killed his father.”
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Adrian laughed hysterically from the ground. “Liars! All of you are liars!”
Suddenly, headlights appeared from the opposite end of the dockyard. A heavy armored truck crashed through the chain-link perimeter fence, hurtling directly toward us.
