Chapter 7 - The Gold Coast Confrontation
The penthouse on Bellevue Place overlooked the dark, stormy waters of Lake Michigan.
Julian Rowe sat in a plush white leather armchair in his living room, a glass of thirty-year-old scotch in his hand, listening to the rain beat against the glass. On the marble coffee table before him lay a sleek satellite phone.
He picked it up, checking the screen for the third time in ten minutes. "Come on, Markov," he muttered to himself. "Call me."
Click.
The lock on the front door didn't snap—it simply disintegrated.
The heavy double doors swept open, and Cassian Rowe stepped into the marble foyer. Rain soaked his dark overcoat, water dripping from the hem onto the pristine white flooring. Lev and Viktor flanked him, their automatic weapons held at low ready.
Julian gasped, spilling his scotch across his tailored trousers as he scrambled out of the chair. "Cassian! What... what are you doing here at three in the morning?!"
Cassian didn't answer immediately. He walked slowly across the living room, taking off his wet leather gloves one finger at a time, tossing them onto the glass table.
"You look nervous, Julian," Cassian said calmly, his gray eyes locking onto his brother like a sniper's crosshairs. "Are you waiting for a phone call?"
Julian’s face went ghastly white. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Marcus Kane is dead," Cassian stated plainly, stepping closer. "He died on the balcony of my east wing after trying to execute a pregnant woman."
Julian swallowed hard, taking a step backward until his knees hit the arm of the sofa. "Pregnant? What woman? Cassian, you're crazy—"
Cassian moved like lightning.
He grabbed Julian by the throat with one hand, lifting his younger brother completely off his feet and slamming him brutally against the floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the city fifty stories below. The heavy glass groaned under the impact.
"Two million dollars, Julian?" Cassian growled, his face inches from his brother's terrified eyes. "You sold my life, my home, and my child's mother for two million dollars?"
"I... I didn't know she was pregnant!" Julian choked out, his hands clawing uselessly at Cassian's iron grip around his neck. "Markov said... he said he just wanted to capture your new maid to force you into surrendering the river docks! He wasn't supposed to kill anyone!"
"You put a predator inside my house," Cassian hissed, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched beneath his skin. "You knew who Markov was. You knew what he does to women and children."
"Cassian, please!" Julian wept, tears streaming down his face. "We're brothers! Dad made us promise on his deathbed that we’d take care of each other!"
"Dad didn't know you were a traitorous parasite," Cassian said coldly.
He pulled a small digital recording device from his pocket and held it up. "Every word of your confession just went live to the federal prosecutor's office, the board of directors, and the news desks. By four o'clock this morning, every asset you own will be frozen. By five, an arrest warrant for attempted murder and treason will be issued."
Julian stared at him in horror. "You're... you're sending me to prison?"
"No," Cassian whispered, leaning in closer so only Julian could hear. "Prison is where you will be safe from me. Because if you ever step foot out of a cell, Julian... I will personally finish what you started tonight."
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Cassian dropped his brother onto the floor in a heap of tears and coughing.
"Take him down to the federal precinct, Lev," Cassian ordered without looking back as he stroled toward the exit. "I have a family to go home to."
