Chapter 6 - The Blood On The Poker
The heavy brass poker in Marcus’s hand caught the golden light of the remaining fireplace coals, casting a dull, crimson reflection across the polished floorboards. The tip of the iron tool was smeared with thick, dark blood that was still dripping slowly onto the Persian rug. Marcus’s immaculate black uniform remained entirely unwrinkled, but his breathing was shallow and uneven, betraying a frantic physical exertion that completely contradicted his usual robotic composure.
Julian’s eyes locked onto the blood, every instinct honed by years of street survival and elite military training flaring into immediate, lethal readiness. The heavy ink along his arms tightened as the muscles beneath contracted like coiled steel.
“Drop the poker, Marcus,” Julian commanded, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly calm, low baritone that commanded absolute obedience.
Marcus didn’t drop the tool. Instead, a slow, grim smile touched the corners of the butler’s thin lips as he stepped fully into the drawing room, his polished leather shoes stepping directly into the small puddle of fresh blood on the rug.
“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Mr. Blackwood,” Marcus replied, his voice unnervingly steady. “Not while there is still unfinished business within the structural integrity of this estate.”
Evelyn let out a choked shriek, clutching her chest as she stumbled away from the door and took refuge behind Julian’s broad back.
“You fool!” Evelyn screamed at the butler, her voice shaking with desperate rage. “I told you to wait until we secured the perimeter! You’ve ruined everything!”
“Mrs. Blackwood, your sentimentality has been a liability to this family since the day you married into it,” Marcus retorted, his eyes never leaving Julian’s face. “The girl down in the sub-basement is no longer just a ghost from the past. She has already accessed the primary conduit. If she reaches the safe before I sever the security feed, every illegal transaction, every forged deed, and every hidden bank account will be broadcast directly to the federal authorities.”
Lily whimpered, wrapping her small arms around Julian’s waist, burying her face in the thick fabric of his dark blue suit.
“Daddy, make him go away,” Lily cried softly.
Julian rested one large, tattooed hand protectively over his daughter’s blonde hair, his glare fixed entirely on the butler.
“Whose blood is on that poker, Marcus?” Julian asked, his voice a lethal whisper that promised absolute destruction.
Marcus tilted his head slightly, glancing down at the dripping iron tool with mild indifference.
“That would belong to Arthur’s night nurse,” Marcus replied smoothly. “She made the unfortunate mistake of checking the wrong utility closet behind the wine cellar. She saw things she was never meant to see.”
Julian didn’t hesitate. He thrust Lily gently behind him toward the relative safety of the stone mantelpiece and launched his massive frame forward across the room with shocking speed.
Marcus raised the heavy brass poker just in time to block Julian’s crushing right hook, the impact ringing through the room like a struck bell.
May you like
As the two men grappled for control of the weapon, the hidden wall panel behind the fireplace slowly slid open again, and a small, trembling hand reached out from the darkness, clutching a crumpled legal document stained with fresh ink.
---
