Chapter 6 - Bloodline Secrets
"Put the gun down, Jude," Clara said, her voice stripped of all maid-like subservience. It was cold, calculated, and sharp.
Jude didn't lower his weapon. His stance remained rock solid. "I should have known, Clara. Twenty years in this house, and you were always watching."
"I was loyal to your father," Clara replied coldly. "Not to you. You destroyed the Mercer legacy when you refused to take over the syndicate's real business."
Ellie shrank back against the wall, her mind reeling. The quiet housekeeper was part of this.
"Where is the girl?" Clara asked, tilting her head toward Ellie. "Where is Julian's daughter?"
"She’s nowhere you can reach," Jude growled, taking a subtle step forward to block Ellie completely from Clara's sightline. "Why do you care about a three-year-old child?"
Clara gave a dark, bitter smile. "Because that child isn't Julian's victory. She’s his leverage."
Ellie froze. "What are you talking about? Brinley is my daughter!"
Clara looked at Ellie with genuine pity. "Oh, sweet girl. You really have no idea who you married, do you?"
Before Clara could say another word, a heavy shadow loomed behind her in the corridor.
A quiet thud echoed as an iron bar struck Clara across the back of her neck. Clara collapsed onto the marble floor, unconscious, dropping her gun.
Standing behind her was Jude’s personal driver, Marcus, holding a heavy tire iron.
"The perimeter is breached, boss," Marcus said breathlessly. "Reggie’s men are at the gate. We have three minutes."
Jude immediately grabbed Ellie by her wrist. "Get your daughter. We leave now."
They sprinted down the back staircase, avoiding the main hall where dark silhouettes were breaking through the glass doors. Ellie sprinted into her room, grabbing Brinley, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Mommy? What’s that loud noise?" Brinley whimpered.
"Shh, baby, it’s okay," Ellie sobbed, wrapping a thick blanket around her daughter and holding her tight against her chest.
Jude led them through a hidden steel door behind the wine cellar, emerging into an underground tunnel that led to a secluded garage half a mile off the main property.
An unmarked black SUV was waiting.
As Marcus sped the vehicle away into the rainy Providence night, Jude sat in the passenger seat, staring out at the burning lights of his own estate in the rearview mirror.
Ellie sat in the back, holding Brinley tight. She looked at Jude’s reflection in the glass.
"What did Clara mean?" Ellie asked, her voice shaking violently. "What did she mean Brinley isn't Julian's leverage?"
Jude slowly turned his head. His dark eyes met hers in the dim light of the dashboard.
"Four years ago, before my father died, my younger sister was killed in a car fire," Jude said softly. "The official report said she was alone."
Ellie’s heart stopped. "She wasn't?"
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"She was pregnant," Jude said. "And the man who got her pregnant... was Julian Carter."
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