Chapter 6 - Blood and Betrayal
The air in the subterranean war room turned instantly toxic.
Julian Rowe was Cassian's younger half-brother—a smooth-talking, high-society playboy who managed the public relations and charitable foundations of the Rowe empire. I had seen his handsome, smiling face on local news broadcasts and charity gala posters during my months in Chicago.
Cassian didn't move. He didn't curse. He simply stood perfectly still, his tall frame rigid as iron, his gray eyes turning completely void of light.
"Are you absolute on the digital signature?" Cassian asked, his voice deathly quiet.
"100%, boss," Lev confirmed, holding up a printout of the encrypted server logs. "Julian used his master override key at 4:15 PM yesterday. He sold the perimeter access codes and your private schedule to Markov's liaison for two million dollars in offshore crypto."
"Why?" I blurted out, unable to keep quiet. "He's your brother! Why would he betray you to a man like Markov?!"
Cassian turned his dark gaze toward me. "Because Julian believes he should be running Rowe Enterprises. He thinks my methods are too violent, too old-world. He wanted Markov to remove me so he could take the crown."
Cassian turned back to Lev. "Where is Julian right now?"
"He's at his penthouse in Gold Coast, sir," Lev answered. "He thinks Marcus Kane completed the job tonight. He's waiting for Markov's confirmation call to step in as interim CEO."
"Prepare the cars," Cassian said smoothly, reaching for a black shoulder holster lying on the tactical table. "Just you, Viktor, and me. We are going to visit my brother."
"Cassian, no!" I cried out, stepping forward and catching his arm.
He stopped, looking down at my small hand gripping his black sleeve.
"Don't do this," I pleaded, tears shining in my eyes. "It's a trap, or... or it will destroy what's left of your soul! He's your family!"
"He put a gun in a room with you and my unborn child, Clara," Cassian said, his voice dropping into a register of terrifying finality. "In my world, blood doesn't grant immunity from treason. It makes the punishment absolute."
"Then let the police handle it!" I argued desperate. "You have the digital logs! You have the evidence!"
"The police in Chicago cannot protect my child from Markov," Cassian said softly. He reached up, gently wiping a fallen tear from my cheek with his thumb. "Stay here with Mrs. Gable. The bunker is locked from the inside. No one enters until I return."
He leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against my forehead, then another gentle kiss directly over my baby bump through my cashmere sweater.
May you like
"I will be back before dawn," he promised.
He turned on his heel and strode out of the war room, followed by his armed enforcers. The heavy steel vault doors slid shut behind them, locking with a massive, echoed boom that sounded like a prison door closing on my heart.
