Chapter 10 - Bloodline Secrets
The blinding flash and concussive roar of the flashbangs threw the room into absolute chaos. The two guards stumbled back, blinded and disoriented, firing wild bursts into the ceiling. I instantly dropped to the concrete floor, tackling Julian by the waist before he could press the detonator switch.
We slammed onto the ground together, rolling across broken glass and shattered computer gear. Julian fought with wild, rabid strength, clawing at my face and jamming his elbow into my ribs.
"I'll kill you, Mark!" he screamed, his face contorted in rage. "You ruined everything!"
I ignored the sharp pain in my ribs, wrapping my arms around his shoulders in a tight lock, driving my knees into his spine to pin him down. I forced his wrist against the hard floor until the black detonator clattered out of his grip and rolled away across the tiles.
"This is for Lily!" I growled, delivering a sharp short blow to his jaw that sent him sprawling onto his back. "And this is for Tommy!"
Before Julian could recover, the doors of the mezzanine were kicked off their hinges. FBI tactical operators clad in heavy body armor and helmet lights flooded the room, their assault rifles raised.
"Federal agents! Don't move! Hands on your head!" the lead team commander bellowed.
The two disoriented guards were pinned to the floor in seconds, handcuffed and disarmed. Two tactical officers grabbed Julian by the arms, dragging him to his feet as he spat blood onto the floor, glaring at me with pure venom.
"Mark Vance!" Julian screamed as he was pulled toward the exit. "You think you're safe now?! You think Sarah is innocent?! Ask her about the bank account in Switzerland! Ask her where she was six years ago when our father died!"
Detective Brody stepped into the room through the smoke, holstering his weapon and stepping beside me. He helped me off the floor, handing me a bottle of water.
"You alright, Mark?" Brody asked, checking the cut on my cheek.
"I'm fine," I panted, wiping blood from my lip. "Is the facility secure?"
"Tactical teams cleared all three levels," Brody confirmed. "The thermite charges were real, but our bomb squad disarmed them before they could trigger. Julian's entire syndicate is done. We seized six servers full of illicit genetic research data and financial records."
I looked down at the floor where Julian's broken satellite tablet lay. His parting scream echoed in my mind. Ask her about the bank account in Switzerland. Ask her where she was six years ago.
I walked out of the plant with Brody, emerging into the cool night rain. Sarah was standing beside an unmarked police cruiser, wrapped in a yellow emergency thermal blanket, flanked by two federal agents. When she saw me walk out of the building alive, she let out a trembling breath of relief and stepped forward.
"Mark... oh God, Mark!" she sobbed, holding out her hands.
I stopped a few feet away from her, my expression hardened into stone. "Julian is in custody. The federal agents found the research servers."
Sarah lowered her head, fresh tears falling onto the metallic thermal blanket. "Thank God... thank God it's over."
"It's not over," I said softly, my voice devoid of emotion. "Who owns the Swiss account, Sarah? And where were you the night my father died?"
Sarah's face instantly went pale, all the color draining from her lips. She looked at me, her eyes filled with a fresh wave of paralyzing terror—a terror that had nothing to do with Julian.
"Mark..." she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain. "I... I can't talk about that here."
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"You will tell me the truth right now," I demanded, taking a step toward her. "No more lies. No more secrets. My children nearly died today because of the secrets in this family. Tell me!"
Sarah closed her eyes tightly, a painful sob escaping her chest. "The account... the account isn't mine, Mark. It belongs to your mother.
