Chapter 4 - The Decoy
I stared at the weapon in my father's hand, unable to comprehend the monster he had become.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, my voice shaking.
"The ledger is right there on the ground."
My father let out a dark, menacing laugh.
"Your grandmother was a clever woman, but she wasn't a fool," he said.
"She wouldn't put the real evidence in a bank where my lawyers could subpoena it."
The man holding my arm tightened his grip until I cried out in pain.
"The book in the briefcase is just a copy of her daily expenses," my father explained.
"The real ledger contains the bank account numbers of the offshore accounts."
I realized then that Mr. Vance had switched the books while I was looking at the forged loan document.
The lawyer had anticipated this ambush and had protected the real evidence.
Sirens suddenly wailed in the distance, growing louder with every passing second.
The two thugs looked at each other, clearly unwilling to stick around for the police.
"We have to go, John," the driver barked from the front seat.
My father cursed under his breath, leaning out of the car to glare at me.
"You have twenty-four hours to bring me the real ledger, Maya."
"If you don't, I will make sure you take the fall for the forged loan, and you will rot in a federal prison."
The thug shoved me backward into the wet alleyway and jumped into the SUV.
The vehicle sped off into the rain, leaving me gasping for air on the concrete.
I crawled over to where Mr. Vance was slumped against the brick wall.
He was bruised and bleeding from a cut on his forehead, but he was conscious.
"Are you okay?" I asked, helping him sit up.
He nodded weakly and reached into the inner lining of his suit jacket.
He pulled out the real leather ledger, completely dry and untouched.
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"We need to get to a safe house," he whispered.
"Because your father just proved he is willing to kill for this."
