Chapter 9 - The House of Cards
By the time Clara landed the helicopter in a deserted field outside of the city, Elias was waiting with a nondescript sedan. They transferred silently, the sheer exhaustion finally settling into Clara's bones. Mia was fast asleep in the backseat, exhausted by the trauma of the night.
"Are you okay?" Elias asked softly, handing Clara a cup of lukewarm coffee.
"I have her," Clara said, her voice hoarse. "That's all that matters. Now, finish them, Elias."
Elias grinned, a dangerous, feral smile. He opened his laptop, resting it on the hood of the car. The Black Ledger files were queued up, ready to go.
"I've got the SEC, the FBI, the IRS, and every major news outlet in the country on a mass-bcc," Elias said, his fingers hovering over the enter key. "Once I hit this, there is no stopping the avalanche. Silas and Julian will be facing federal RICO charges, kidnapping, extortion, and bribery."
"Hit it," Clara said without hesitation.
Elias pressed enter. The progress bar flashed instantly to 100%. The data was out.
Within thirty minutes, the world exploded.
Clara sat in the passenger seat, listening to the news radio as they drove away from the city. The broadcast was frantic.
“...breaking news this morning, a massive data dump has implicated billionaire Silas Hawthorne in a staggering web of corruption. Federal agents are currently raiding the Hawthorne estate and the Hawthorne Continental Bank...”
“...warrants have been issued for Julian Hawthorne regarding the kidnapping of a minor and assault. Unconfirmed reports state Julian was found severely beaten at a remote property...”
“...the stock for Hawthorne Industries is in freefall, trading has been halted...”
Clara closed her eyes, letting the words wash over her. They had thought they could crush her because she was a mother. They failed to realize that making a mother desperate was the most dangerous mistake a predator could make.
Later that afternoon, Elias pulled into a small, private airfield. A twin-engine Cessna was waiting on the tarmac, its propellers idling. A man with a thick beard and a leather jacket handed Elias a thick manila envelope.
Elias walked over to Clara. "Passports. Clean identities. Untraceable offshore accounts funded by the money we skimmed from their bank before we burned it. You have enough to live quietly, anywhere in the world, for the rest of your lives."
Clara took the envelope, her hands shaking slightly. She looked at Elias, the man who had risked everything for her. "I don't know how to thank you."
May you like
"You already did," Elias said, tapping his chest. "You saved my life three years ago. Now we're even. Go. Disappear, Clara. Be a mother."
Clara hugged him tight. She turned and carried a sleeping Mia up the stairs of the plane. As the door closed, she looked out the window one last time at the country she was leaving behind. It was over. The Hawthornes were buried alive under the weight of their own sins.
