Chapter 36
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Julian stared at the three identical lockets, his entire fabricated reality violently unraveling in a matter of seconds. The absolute, unshakeable loyalty he had pledged to Malcolm Ashford cracked and shattered on the marble floor.
"He told me my parents were drunks who left me in a burning building," Julian whispered, his voice trembling with a terrifying, suppressed rage. "He told me he was the only one who cared."
"He needed a weapon who wouldn't ask questions," Vivienne said softly, taking another step forward and offering him the ledger. "Look at the pages, Julian. Look at what he did to us."
Julian took the heavy book. He didn't even need to open it. The gold-leaf lettering of Protocol Omega was enough to confirm the horrifying truth he had suspected in his darkest, most quiet moments. He had spent his entire life killing the enemies of the man who had ordered his mother’s murder.
Julian slowly lowered his weapon completely, letting it hang by its tactical sling.
"The board of directors isn't coming tonight," Julian revealed, his eyes darkening with absolute malice as he looked toward the heavy oak doors of the penthouse. "Malcolm lied to the executives. He's inside destroying the final encrypted hard drives. He has a private helicopter arriving on the roof in five minutes."
"We can't let him leave," Leo stated, raising his shotgun again. "If he gets on that chopper, he vanishes forever."
"He isn't going anywhere," Julian promised, a lethal, cold determination settling over his features. He reached to his belt and deactivated the biometric lock on the massive oak doors.
"Julian," Laura warned, keeping her gun ready. "If you go in there shooting, he becomes a martyr. We need him alive to face the federal indictments."
"I don't care about the law, Detective," Julian replied coldly. "I care about justice."
"No," Vivienne grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "If you kill him in cold blood, you prove that his conditioning worked. You prove you are nothing but the monster he built. You are our brother, Julian. Let us end this together. The right way."
Julian looked down at Vivienne, seeing the fierce, unyielding compassion in her eyes. He slowly nodded, stepping back from the door.
"Theodore," Laura spoke into her earpiece. "We have breached the eightieth floor. Julian is with us. Kill the chopper on the roof."
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"Rotor systems hacked and disabled," Theodore's voice crackled back instantly. "The bird is grounded. You are clear to proceed."
Vivienne, Leo, and Julian stood side by side, taking a collective breath before Julian kicked the heavy oak doors wide open.
