The first thing Claire Bennett remembered was not the scream.

"You did well today, Miss Bennett," Julian said quietly, his eyes fixed on the gray sky beyond the glass.

"Thank you, sir," Claire replied. She set her laptop down on the edge of the mahogany table. "Is it over?"

Julian let out a cold, dry laugh that lacked any trace of humor. "Over? No. Marcus and Cross were the hands, Miss Bennett. They are greedy, stupid men who were easily manipulated. But neither of them has the technical intelligence required to design a dual-stage radio frequency override for a military-grade mobility chair."

Claire frowned, stepping closer to him. "You think someone else built the device?"

"I know someone else built it," Julian said. He turned around slowly, his face looking tired, lined with physical pain from standing for so long. He sank into the heavy leather chair at the head of the table, resting his silver cane against his knee. "The schematics used to alter my chair were pulled from an internal research document developed by Vescari Defense Systems three years ago. That document was classified at the highest level. Only three people possessed the decryption key."

"Who were the three people?" Claire asked.

"Myself," Julian said. "My late father. And Gabriel Knox."

Claire felt a sudden, sharp chill run down her spine. "Gabriel?"

"Gabriel was my father's chief of security for fifteen years before he became mine," Julian revealed softly. "He knows every security protocol, every secret access route, and every blind spot in my empire. Today, he tackled Cross and recovered the transmitter with remarkable efficiency, didn't he?"

"He made himself look entirely innocent," Claire realized, her mind racing back through the events in the boardroom. "He handed you the transmitter before Cross could explain where he bought it."

"Precisely," Julian murmured. "Gabriel gave me Marcus and Cross on a silver platter because they were liabilities. He used them to test my defenses. And now that they have been eliminated, he knows for certain that I can walk, and he knows that you are the one helping me find the truth."

He looked at her, his dark eyes filled with a grave, protective concern.

"You are no longer safe in your apartment, Claire," Julian said, using her first name for the first time since they had met. "Gabriel’s operatives monitor every public transit line, every security camera, and every mobile network in this district. If he realizes you know his secret, he will eliminate you before the sun sets."

"What do we do?" Claire asked, her voice tight but firm.

Julian reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a small black leather wallet, and tossed it to her.

Inside were a fresh passport, a clean driver's license with her photograph under a different name, and three black credit cards with no visible numbers.

"There is an old, unlisted safehouse on the northern tip of Shelter Island," Julian said. "My father built it during the Cold War. It has no digital connections, no satellite tracking, and no wireless signals. My private driver—a man named Thomas who answers only to me—is waiting in the lower loading bay right now. He will take you there."

Claire looked down at the false identity papers in her hands, then up at Julian. "You're sending me away?"

"I am securing my most valuable asset," Julian corrected softly. "I need twenty-four hours to isolate Gabriel's operational network and secure the main servers at our upstate facility. Once Knox is in custody, I will come for you."

Claire hesitated, her fingers tightening around the leather wallet. "Julian... don't go back to the estate alone. If Gabriel knows you're vulnerable—"

"Gabriel thinks I am still relying on his security team to protect me," Julian said, a cold, lethal smile touching his lips. "He doesn't know that I have already moved forty of my father's old loyalists into the city. Tonight, the trap closes on him."

He stood up from his chair, using his cane to steady himself, and walked toward her. He stopped inches away, his tall frame looming over her, his dark eyes burning into hers with a raw, intense focus.

"Thank you, Claire," Julian murmured softly. "For jumping into the water."