Chapter 9 - THE CHOICE
Henry dragged Lily against him.
“Give me the card.”
I saw fear in her eyes, but she did not cry.
“You hurt her,” I said, “and you lose your only leverage.”
“I still have the boy.”
“You don’t have anyone.”
Henry’s expression flickered.
He had not expected me to sound certain.
Daniel stood six feet away, hands raised.
Robert slowly reached toward his pocket.
Henry aimed at him.
“Don’t.”
Lily looked down at Henry’s shoe.
Then she stomped on his foot.
He cursed.
She dropped.
Daniel lunged.
The gun fired into the ceiling.
I pulled Lily away while Daniel slammed Henry against a support beam.
Police rushed through the doors.
Henry was handcuffed within seconds.
But Lily was staring at the floor.
A small black keycard had fallen from his coat.
It belonged to Carter Industries.
Executive elevator access.
I picked it up.
“He was going back.”
Robert nodded.
“Vanessa needs him for the board vote.”
We raced toward Manhattan.
On the way, the district attorney called.
The dashcam footage was real.
It showed Vanessa confronting Rachel beside the mountain road.
Henry’s car blocked the shoulder.
Maria’s vehicle recorded Vanessa striking Rachel, taking a folder, and shoving her toward the traffic lane.
Rachel stumbled into the road.
A truck swerved.
Her car rolled down the embankment.
The official report had been falsified.
“Arrest warrants are being prepared,” the prosecutor said.
“Prepared isn’t enough.”
“We need jurisdictional approval.”
“My son is in that building.”
“We’re moving as fast as we can.”
I ended the call.
Lily sat beside me in the SUV.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“She doesn’t want the company.”
“What does she want?”
“Mommy’s necklace.”
I stared at her.
“What necklace?”
“The one Ethan wears under his shirt.”
Then my phone displayed a live notification from Ethan’s watch.
A hidden audio recording had begun.
May you like
Vanessa’s voice whispered through the speaker.
“Take off the necklace, Ethan. The key is inside.”
