Chapter 7 - The Mastermind Revealed
Ethan didn't waste a single second negotiating.
"Tell me where to be," Ethan commanded.
"Pier 44. The old Blackwood shipping warehouse," the distorted voice replied. "Come alone. If I see cops, the boy takes a swim."
The line went dead.
Ethan stood up and tossed the phone back to the police officer.
"We're going to Pier 44," Ethan said, looking at Hannah.
"He said come alone," Richard argued, grasping his cane. "Ethan, it's a trap."
"I don't care," Ethan said flatly. "And I'm not leaving Hannah behind. She has a right to be there."
Hannah threw off the thermal blanket and stood up.
Her fear was entirely replaced by maternal fury.
They bypassed the police lines by slipping into Ethan's armored private SUV.
The drive to the docks took a grueling twenty minutes in agonizing silence.
The old warehouse was a rusted, imposing structure looming over the freezing waters of Lake Michigan.
Ethan kicked the rusted side door open.
The massive interior was dark, illuminated only by a few hanging industrial lights.
In the center of the room, Victoria Hale was tied securely to a wooden chair.
Her perfect clothes were torn, and she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Beside her, little Noah sat on a shipping crate.
He wasn't tied up, but he looked absolutely terrified.
"Noah!" Hannah screamed, running forward.
A warning shot fired into the ceiling echoed like a cannon blast.
Hannah stopped instantly.
A figure stepped out from the shadows of a massive steel container.
He held a suppressed pistol aimed directly at Noah.
Ethan squinted into the dim light.
When he recognized the man holding the gun, Ethan felt the floor drop out from under him.
"Marcus?" Ethan breathed in disbelief.
Marcus Vance was Ethan’s Chief Operating Officer.
He was his college roommate, his best man, and his most trusted friend for fifteen years.
Marcus smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
"Hello, Ethan," Marcus said smoothly.
"You?" Ethan asked, struggling to process the betrayal. "You helped Victoria forge the documents?"
"Helped her?" Marcus laughed. "I orchestrated it."
Marcus pointed the gun toward Hannah.
"I spent a decade helping you build the empire, Ethan. But your father always intended to give it to you. So, I decided to take it."
May you like
Marcus pulled a stack of legal documents from his jacket and threw them at Ethan’s feet.
"Sign the transfer, Ethan. Or your legacy dies today."
