Chapter 17 - The Final Loose End
The sudden, horrifying revelation hit Ethan like a violent physical blow to the chest.
Julian Vance was supposed to be rotting in a maximum-security prison cell for the attempted murder of the twins.
"That is absolutely impossible," Ethan stated firmly, staring at the glowing screen of the seized laptop.
"Julian was denied bail and placed in solitary confinement entirely for his own protection."
The federal investigator looked incredibly grim, shaking his head slowly as he tapped a command on his secure radio.
"We just checked with the federal warden, Doctor Caldwell," the investigator reported, his voice tight with absolute disbelief.
"Julian Vance was mysteriously transferred to a secondary medical facility three hours ago due to a supposed cardiac event."
"During the transport, the armored vehicle was violently ambushed by highly trained mercenaries. Julian is entirely gone."
Hannah gripped Ethan’s arm incredibly tightly, the profound peace they had just won shattering into a million jagged pieces.
Silas Thorne had deliberately funded Julian’s brutal escape as a deadly, absolute contingency plan.
He knew that if his direct assault on the estate failed, a desperate, greedy man with fifty million dollars would never stop hunting the Caldwells.
"Julian is a coward," Ethan said, his analytical mind rapidly shifting into aggressive, strategic mode.
"He doesn't have the tactical skills to wage a shadow war. He will take the money and immediately run for an extradition-free country."
"We need to permanently ground every single private charter flight within a five-hundred-mile radius," Ethan ordered the federal agent.
The investigator nodded, quickly barking urgent commands into his radio to initiate a massive, statewide aviation lockdown.
Ethan turned to Hannah, his eyes blazing with a fierce, uncompromising determination to end this nightmare permanently.
"I have to stop him," Ethan said softly, knowing he could never truly rest while his treacherous former best friend remained free.
"You are not going alone," Hannah replied fiercely, completely refusing to be left behind in the shattered house.
Ethan knew there was absolutely no time to argue, and he trusted Hannah's fierce protective instincts more than any armed guard.
They rapidly loaded the sleeping twins into their heavily armored transport vehicle, flanked entirely by two armed federal tactical agents.
They sped desperately toward the primary private aviation hub on the outskirts of Chicago, racing aggressively against the clock.
Ethan used his secure tablet to actively hack into the hospital's administrative database, searching for any hidden properties registered under Julian’s fake aliases.
He found a small, highly secure hangar at a private, unlisted airfield entirely off the main radar grid.
"He is not going to the main airport," Ethan directed the driver, pointing firmly to the new coordinates on the GPS.
They arrived at the dark, desolate airfield just as a sleek, black private jet began to slowly taxi out of the hidden hangar.
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The jet's engines whined loudly, preparing for immediate takeoff into the freezing, dark winter sky.
Julian Vance was literally seconds away from escaping completely into the shadows with his massive, stolen fortune.
