Chapter 7 - The Hitman
The revelation hit me with the force of a physical blow.
The horrific crash that had shattered my pelvis and nearly killed my babies was not an accident.
It was a deliberate assassination attempt ordered by Apex Holdings.
I took the bloody piece of paper from Claire's shaking hand.
It was a printed photograph of my damaged car sitting in the junkyard, with a red target drawn over the driver's seat.
"Daniel, get Vance on the phone right now," I ordered without looking away from the photo.
I looked down at my weeping sister and felt nothing but cold resolve.
"You are going to stay in the guest room under armed guard," I told Claire.
"If you try to leave, or if you contact mother, I will hand you over to Apex myself."
Claire nodded frantically and allowed the security team to escort her away.
Daniel rushed into the room, holding his phone on speaker.
"Vance is on the line," Daniel announced.
"Vance, I need you to find the man who drove the truck that hit me," I commanded into the speaker.
"I already did," the investigator replied gruffly.
"His name is Marcus Vance, no relation to me, and he is a known enforcer for Apex Holdings."
"Where is he right now?" I demanded.
"He is sitting in a dive bar on the edge of town, celebrating his recent release on bail," Vance said.
"Bring him to me," I instructed coldly.
Three hours later, my security team dragged a battered and bleeding Marcus into my penthouse.
They forced him into a heavy wooden chair and bound his wrists with zip ties.
Marcus spat blood onto my pristine floor and laughed.
"You cannot touch me, lady," the hitman sneered.
"I work for people who own this entire city."
I limped forward, leaning on my cane, and stood directly in front of him.
"I know you work for Apex Holdings," I said smoothly.
"But I also know that Apex Holdings is currently being audited by the federal government."
I pulled a thick stack of printed financial documents from Daniel's briefcase and tossed them onto the hitman's lap.
"I just bought all of your boss's outstanding debt, Marcus."
"That means I own Apex, and by extension, I own you."
Marcus looked at the authentic banking documents, and his arrogant smirk vanished instantly.
"Who gave the order to hit my car?" I asked, tapping my cane against his knee.
Marcus swallowed hard, his eyes darting around the room full of armed guards.
"It was not a corporate order," Marcus confessed, his voice shaking.
"A wealthy older woman paid me fifty thousand in cash to run you off the road."
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He looked up at me with genuine fear in his eyes.
"She told me to make sure the babies died in the crash, too."
