Chapter 10 - Silence in the Living Room
The front door unlocked with Ryan’s key, opening silently onto the polished hardwood foyer.
The house was suffocatingly quiet. No children's laughter, no clinking cutlery, no sound of the television from the den. Just the low, menacing hum of a man’s voice speaking in measured, predatory tones from the formal living room.
Ryan and I walked side-by-side down the hall, our wet shoes making no sound against the Persian rugs.
As we stepped into the archway, the entire room froze.
Diane was huddled in an armchair by the unlit fireplace, her face pale, tears streaming down her makeup. Chloe was sitting on the floor beside her, trembling, clutching her knees. Derek was standing near the French doors, his splinted wrist cradled in his chest, looking like a man whose execution date had just been moved up by an hour.
Sitting casually in Diane’s antique wingback chair was a man in an immaculate navy suit. He had slicked-back gray hair, cold reptilian eyes, and a silver signet ring on his pinky finger: Julian Vance, Victor Reno’s primary money collector for the Pacific Northwest.
"Ryan... Elena..." Diane choked out, her voice a fragile gasp. "Oh God... get out... please, Ryan, run..."
Julian Vance didn't flinch. He set his cup of chamomile tea down on Diane’s mahogany side table with a delicate *clink*. His eyes slid over Ryan, dismissed him instantly, and locked onto me.
"Elena Alvarez," Julian purred, a thin, venomous smile spreading across his lips. "The Reno Valkyrie herself. Marco was supposed to bring you in, but I see you decided to deliver yourself. And you brought the little husband."
Derek pointed a trembling, sweat-soaked finger at me. "Julian! That's her! She's the one you want! Take her and tell Victor we're square! Ryan, move out of the way, you idiot! Let them take her!"
Ryan took two deliberate steps forward, placing his body directly between Derek and me. The transformation in Ryan was complete. The quiet, accommodating younger brother was gone; in his place stood a man ready to tear a kingdom down.
"Shut your mouth, Derek," Ryan said. His voice was low, but it possessed a terrifying gravity that made Derek stumble backward into the curtains.
"Ryan, you don't understand!" Derek shrieked hysterically. "She's a criminal! She owes these people millions!"
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"No, Derek," I said, stepping past Ryan, my eyes fixed entirely on Julian Vance. "I don't owe anyone a single cent. But you owe Julian three hundred and forty thousand dollars. And you offered my life to pay your tab."
***
