Chapter 6 - The Shadow Empire
I stood in the center of the dark walnut study, staring at the paper in my hand. The deep, jagged scar running across my lower abdomen suddenly felt hot, as if the surgical steel were slicing through my skin all over again.
Five years of pain. Five years of fatigue. Five years of trusting the man who held my hand while I cried in recovery, telling me I was strong, telling me I was a survivor.
He hadn't been comforting me. He had been monitoring his investment.
"Mrs. Carter," Vance said gently, standing up from the desk and reaching out to steady me. "Sit down. Please."
"No," I said. The word came out sharp, hard as diamond. "I'm not sitting down ever again."
I pulled my phone from my robe pocket. My hands weren't shaking anymore. The numb horror had burned away, leaving behind a white-hot, pure clarity that felt like liquid fire in my veins.
"Where is Marcus Vance now?" I asked.
Vance looked at the documents on the desk. "According to the corporate filing in this box, Apex Capital operates out of a private medical retreat in Lake Forest. It's listed as a private wellness sanctuary, but it's a high-security medical facility."
"Is he still alive?"
"He was three months ago," Vance replied. "Sarah traced a shipment of specialized immunosuppressant drugs from Switzerland to that address."
I turned toward the study door. "We're going down."
Downstairs, the living room had been turned into a staging area. Two uniform officers were standing by the front door, while Daniel sat handcuffed on a chair in the corner, his face buried in his hands. Sarah was sitting on the sofa, holding Emily close, whispering a story to her to keep her eyes off her father.
When I walked into the room, Daniel lifted his head.
"Claire..." he choked out, his voice desperate. "Claire, please... you have to understand... Marcus Vance was going to kill all of us. If I didn't agree to the procedure during your delivery, he was going to shut down Apex, bankrupt us, and make sure we both ended up like Elena!"
I walked up to him, stopping three feet away.
"You let them cut me open while I was unconscious, Daniel," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "You took pieces of my body and sold them to save your money."
"It saved your life!" Daniel screamed, tears streaming down his nose. "They were going to kill you anyway, Claire! I negotiated! I made sure they did the surgery safely! I brought in the best surgeons in the Midwest! You survived! Emily survived!"
"You didn't save me," I whispered, leaning down until my eyes were level with his. "You leased me."
I turned to the lead uniform officer. "Take him out of my house."
"Claire! No! Claire, listen to me!" Daniel wailed as the two officers hauled him out of the chair by his arms, dragging him toward the front door. "Marcus Vance has guards! He has federal judges on his payroll! You can't fight them! You'll ruin everything!"
The heavy oak front door slammed shut behind him, cutting off his cries.
The house went dead silent again.
I walked over to the sofa and knelt down beside Emily. She looked at me, her big dark eyes searching my face.
"Is Daddy going away?" she asked softly.
"Yes, baby," I said, smoothing her hair back from her forehead. "Daddy is going away for a very long time."
"Because he was mean to Auntie Elena?"
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, feeling a single, heavy tear slip down my cheek before I forced myself to open them again. "Because he lied to us, sweetheart. And because he hurt people."
I turned to Sarah. "Can you take her to your father's house? Keep her safe until this is over?"
Sarah looked at her father, who gave her a quiet nod, then looked back at me. "I will protect her with my life, Claire. I swear to you."
"Thank you," I murmured.
I kissed Emily's forehead, holding her tight for three long seconds, smelling the sweet scent of baby shampoo and cotton.
"Be a good girl for Sarah, okay?" I whispered. "Mommy has to go fix something."
May you like
Emily nodded, holding her stuffed puppy tight against her chest. "Okay, Mommy. Don't forget the red box."
"I won't," I said, standing up and looking at Detective Vance. "Let me get dressed. We're going to Lake Forest."
