Chapter 35
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Julian Vance did not look surprised to see them. He stood perfectly still in his immaculate black suit, his weapon leveled directly at Laura’s chest. His face was a mask of cold, terrifying professional discipline.
"I knew the lobby attack was a diversion," Julian stated, his voice echoing coldly down the marble hallway. "Drop the weapons immediately, or I will kill the detective first."
Laura didn't flinch, keeping her sights locked on his head. "You fire that weapon, Julian, and Leo cuts you in half with buckshot. It's a lose-lose scenario."
"Wait!" Vivienne shouted, stepping out from behind Leo and pushing his shotgun barrel down toward the floor. She walked forward, leaving the safety of her armed escorts, entirely exposed to Julian’s weapon.
Julian narrowed his eyes, tracking her movement. "Step back, Vivienne. My orders from Malcolm are absolute. No one breaches the penthouse."
"Malcolm has been lying to you your entire life, Julian," Vivienne said, stopping ten feet away from him. She held up the heavy leather-bound ledger. "We found the records at St. Agnes. We found Protocol Omega."
Julian’s stoic expression cracked for a fraction of a second. "St. Agnes burned to the ground decades ago."
"The basement survived," Leo spoke up, taking a cautious step forward. He reached into his shirt and pulled out his silver locket, letting it rest visibly on his chest. "Malcolm didn't rescue you from a tragic fire, Julian. He started the fire. He was using us as lab rats."
Julian stared at Leo’s locket, his breath hitching slightly.
Vivienne reached up and pulled her own silver locket free, holding it out toward him. "Emily Ashford, Grace Ellis, and a third caretaker tried to save us. Emily and Grace got away with Leo and me. But your caretaker was killed by Malcolm's men before she could escape."
"You're lying," Julian growled, his grip on the submachine gun tightening, but the barrel lowered a fraction of an inch. "This is a psychological tactic."
"Check your own neck, Julian," Leo challenged, his voice filled with raw emotion. "Malcolm let you keep the necklace because he thought the caretaker bought it for you. He didn't realize it was a matching set. A promise they made to never forget us."
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Julian swallowed hard. Slowly, his left hand reached up to the collar of his tailored shirt. He pulled a silver chain free. At the end of it hung a locket, identical in every detail to the ones worn by Vivienne and Leo.
The three children of Protocol Omega were finally standing in the same room.
