Chapter 28: The Freeze
463 words
The gavel banged, a sound like a gunshot that shattered the stunned silence of the courtroom.
“Motion granted,” Judge Halloway barked, staring down at Julian with undisguised disgust. “In light of the defendant's admission of liability and the severity of the pending criminal charges, I am granting the plaintiff's emergency request. All assets belonging to Julian Blackwood—personal, offshore, and corporate holdings—are hereby frozen, effective immediately.”
Julian didn’t wait for the bailiff to move. He didn't look at Sarah, whose face remained a mask of cold, victorious marble. Survival instinct, primal and panicked, hijacked his nervous system.
He shoved past his own paralyzed legal team, ignoring Marcus Wolf’s shark-like grin, and bolted for the side exit. He needed non-extradition soil. He needed the jet.
Forty-five minutes later, Julian was sprinting through the private aviation terminal at Teterboro, his bespoke Brioni suit soaked through with cold sweat. His chest heaved, the pristine fabric clinging to his back.
“Zurich,” he wheezed, slamming his hand onto the marble counter of the charter desk. “Now.”
The attendant, a young woman with a tight bun, looked at him with mild alarm. “Mr. Blackwood? We don't have a flight plan filed—”
“I don't care about the paperwork!” Julian screamed, spit flying onto the glass partition. “Get the pilots on board. I’ll pay double the fuel cost. Triple!”
He fumbled for his wallet, his fingers shaking so violently he dropped his black Amex Centurion card. It clattered on the floor—the sound of ultimate, limit-less power. He snatched it up and thrust it at her face.
“Swipe it!” he snarled, his eyes darting to the automatic doors, expecting sirens at any second. “Hurry up, you incompetent waif!”
The attendant’s jaw tightened. She took the heavy titanium card and inserted it into the chip reader with deliberate slowness.
Julian tapped his Italian leather shoe against the floor, a frantic erratic rhythm. Processing... Processing...
Beep.
A harsh, low descending tone echoed through the quiet lobby.
The attendant frowned. She tried again. Beep.
“Sir,” she said, her voice dripping with professional ice. She slid the card back across the marble counter with two fingers, as if it were contaminated waste. “It’s declined. The error code is ‘Seized by Issuer.’”
“That’s impossible,” Julian whispered, the blood draining from his face until he looked like a corpse. He grabbed his phone to check his banking app.
BALANCE: $0.00. STATUS: FROZEN - SUPERIOR COURT ORDER.
“There must be a mistake,” Julian stammered, his arrogance dissolving into terror. “I have billions.”
“Not anymore,” a deep voice rumbled behind him.
Julian spun around. He found himself staring at the reflection of flashing blue lights in the glass doors, and two U.S. Marshals walking toward him with handcuffs drawn.
End of Chapter 28
